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Contemporary and historical effective population sizes of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus

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Abstract

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is an anadromous fish of considerable conservation concern, following its long history of overfishing and exposure to a variety of other anthropogenic stressors. Though reaching a large size, population abundances (Nc) of Atlantic sturgeon are not easily surveyed using traditional fishery methods because of their relative scarcity and their many age classes, often exhibiting extensive and differential movements that render them not readily amenable to traditional sampling efforts. A metric of their vulnerability to inbreeding and a possible alternative to Nc for abundance monitoring is effective population size (Ne). We surveyed 14 Atlantic sturgeon populations across their range using a suite of DNA microsatellite markers. Contemporary levels of Ne ranged from 1 in the St. Marys River, Florida–Georgia, to 156 in the Hudson River, New York. Historical Ne estimates averaged about 11.5 × higher than contemporary estimates, with a high of 927 for the Kennebec River population. Because of a mix of life history characteristics that make traditional Ne estimates based on imperfectly mixed year classes of juveniles questionable, we propose and provide results of a new, more robust and diagnostic approach based on sequential cohorts, termed Ne Max. Although contemporary Ne values obtained were at levels that might be considered troublesome, we suggest that the unique life history factors of this species may render it more resistant than other taxa to inbreeding effects. Because of the many differences among populations in size, age, and sex ratio and in harvest histories, we do not believe that a reliable extrapolation factor between Ne and Nc is yet possible. However, ongoing monitoring of Ne and Nc in populations might be sensitive to population changes and could form the basis of determining a relationship between Ne and Nc.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all of the students, scientists, and resource managers for their collections of Atlantic sturgeon that were the target of this study. We are also grateful for helpful reviews by Robin Waples and two anonymous reviewers. We also acknowledge a NOAA Fisheries Endangered Species Act Section 6 program grant for its support and the use of the Molecular Facilities Core of the NYU NIEHS Center Grant ES000260.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Queens, NY, 11367, USA

    John Waldman

  2. Graduate Program in Biology, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    John Waldman & S. Elizabeth Alter

  3. Department of Biology, York College, City University of New York, Jamaica, NY, 11451, USA

    S. Elizabeth Alter

  4. Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA

    S. Elizabeth Alter

  5. Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, 180 East Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Douglas Peterson

  6. New York University School of Medicine, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York, NY, 10011, USA

    Lorraine Maceda, Nirmal Roy & Isaac Wirgin

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Correspondence to John Waldman.

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Waldman, J., Alter, S.E., Peterson, D. et al. Contemporary and historical effective population sizes of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus. Conserv Genet 20, 167–184 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-018-1121-4

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