Penobscot River Research Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 1 Summer 2010 Inside this issue: Welcome From the Editor
Welcome to the first edition and academic institutions. Fund- (DSRRN), a five-year, NSF- Welcome From the 1 of the Penobscot River Annual ing, status, and contact informa- Editor funded collaborative research Research Newsletter! tion are given for all projects so effort to advance the science of The primary purpose of this that you can easily follow up diadromous fish restoration. Message from the 1 newsletter is to share research with any researcher. For information about the Ex- Penobscot Trust from the Penobscot River with At 8,570 square miles, the change or DSRRN, please visit agencies, organizations, and Penobscot is Maine’s largest our website (www.umaine.edu/ academic institutions in order to watershed and New England’s Shortnose Sturgeon 2 searunfish) or contact the Edi- strengthen partnerships and second largest. This newsletter Spawning Habitat tor at barbara.s.arter opportunities among the originated from the Penobscot @umit.maine.edu broader fisheries and river res- Science Exchange which meets We hope you enjoy toration community. twice annually to discuss river Dam Removal Effects 2 the newsletter ! Inside you will find abstracts research plans and results. The on Fish Assemblages ~Barbara S. Arter, from a variety of sources includ- Exchange is a collaboration with Editor and Science ing state agencies, federal agen- the Diadromous Species Resto- Restoration Impacts 3 Information Coordinator on Bird Assemblages cies, conservation organizations ration Research Network
Monitoring Sea Lam- 3 prey in Tributaries Message from the Penobscot River Restoration Trust Iron Ore Impacts on 4 Water Quality The Penobscot River Restora- the National Oceanic and At- erating investigators from the tion Project is a collaborative mospheric Administration University of Maine, the U.S. effort between industry, the (NOAA) and other partners, Geological Survey, the Gulf of Alewife Population 4 Penobscot Indian Nation, seven has identified core environ- Maine Research Institute, and Structure conservation groups, and state mental monitoring parameters private consulting companies. and federal agencies to restore that will allow us to document Several of these investigations Alewife Upstream 5 Atlantic salmon, American shad, restoration outcomes. These are among the abstracts in- Migration Study river herring, and seven other monitoring priorities are further cluded in this watershed re- species of sea-run fish to the influenced by two guidance search newsletter. Adult Atlantic Salmon 5 Penobscot watershed while documents: a conceptual moni- ~ Blaine Kopp Returns maintaining hydroelectric energy toring framework developed by [email protected] production. the Penobscot River Science 207.430.0122 Marine-Freshwater 6 The Penobscot River Restora- Steering Committee, and a Gulf www.penobscotriver.org Food Web Linkages tion Trust (the Trust) is the non of Maine Council protocol for -profit organization charged stream barrier removal moni- Species Distribution 6 with implementing the core toring. & Habitat aspects of the restoration effort, In June 2009, the NOAA Res- including purchase and removal toration Center announced a Sea Lamprey & 7 of the two lowermost dams on major investment in the Project Salmon Interaction the river at Veazie and Great with funding from the American Works, and purchase and de- Recovery and Reinvestment Act commissioning of a third dam at of 2009. This award has al- Fish Assemblage 7 Howland where a fish bypass lowed the Trust to begin imple- Survey will be constructed. mentation of its monitoring The Trust, with assistance program. Component studies Penobscot River Shortnose Sturgeon 8 from its member organizations, are being implemented by coop- By Bridget Besaw Movement Page 2 Penobscot River Research Newsletter
Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum): Searching for Spawning Habitat in the Penobscot River, Maine by Gayle Zydlewski, University of Maine School of Marine Sciences, Orono, ME, (207) 581-4365, [email protected]; Matthew Wegener, University of Maine School of Marine Sciences; and Michael Kinnison, University of Maine School of Biology and Ecology.
Shortnose sturgeon metric model will be used to tween June and October gut typically move upstream to select sample sites in spring contents of predatory fish be- spawn in the spring from their 2010. tween Veazie Dam and the salt wintering location. A prelimi- Sampling gear will wedge will be examined for nary estimate of the include artificial substrates and young of the year sturgeon. Penobscot River’s over- modified ichthyoplankton nets. Documentation of spawning in wintering population is Gear will be set downstream of the Penobscot River will lead 701 (95% CI: 445-1033). fish actively tracked moving to a better understanding of Although females with upstream and in likely locations regional sturgeon population developed eggs winter based on depth, velocity, and dynamics and advise conserva- in the Penobscot River, substrate. Detailed habitat tion and management strate- spawning behavior has characteristics will be collected gies. not been documented. in the spawning area if eggs or This project is ongo- In 2008 and 2009, un- larvae are captured. Due to a ing and funded by the Penob- successful attempts lack of salinity tolerance, young scot River Restoration were made to collect of the year sturgeon cannot Trust through the NOAA Res- Shortnose Sturgeon. eggs and/or larvae. exit their river of origin and are toration Center and the By Kevin Lachapelle. Acoustic tracking and a preyed upon in freshwater by American Recovery and Rein- Photo pursuant to ESA permit #1595. two dimensional bathy- other species. Therefore, be- vestment Act.
Quantifying the Effects of Dam Removal on the Structure and Function of Fish Assemblages in the Penobscot River by Ian Kiraly, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology, 5755 Nutting Hall, Room 202 Orono, ME 04469 Phone: (607) 435-1050 [email protected]; Stephen M. Coghlan, Jr. University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology; and Joseph Zydlewski, USGS Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit.
The Penobscot River and thus fish assemblages and 2009 as part of a separate drains the largest watershed in should change significantly. study; data collection will con- Maine, and once provided Quantitative assess- tinue at those sites and at addi- spawning and juvenile rearing ment of the effects of dam tional sites chosen for random- habitats to migratory fish. The removal on fish assemblages in stratified sampling. construction of dams blocked large rivers is inadequate due This project is in migrations of these fish and to a lack of comparative pre- progress, with data collection changed the struc- and post-removal data. The starting during the 2010 field ture and function purpose of this study is to season. Sources of funding of fish assemblages quantify pre-removal fish as- through the Penobscot River throughout the semblage characteristics and to Restoration Trust include river. The re- track changes within fish as- NOAA Restoration Center, moval of two main semblages during and after dam the American Recovery and -stem dams and removal. Survey methods in- Reinvestment Act, Maine De- improved fish clude boat electrofishing and partment of Inland Fish and passage at a third beach seining. Wildlife, University of Maine, dam is anticipated Pre-removal elec- and the Maine Cooperative to increase pas- trofishing data were collected Fish and Wildlife Research Sampling Fish on the Penobscot sage of sea-run at established sites by Unit. By Brandon Kulik and resident fishes, Kleinshmidt Associates in 2008 Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3
River Restoration in the Northeast: What are the Implications for River Bird Assemblages? by Erynn Call, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology, 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME, 04469-5755, Phone (906) 630-0266, [email protected] and Malcolm Hunter, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology.
This project will pro- fish. The relative importance from McIntyre-Stennis funds of vide a better understanding of of marine and freshwater prey the University of Maine and the how river bird assemblages to birds within the context of Eastern Maine Conservation (RBA) interact with dams, habi- impounded river systems is not Initiative. tat, and marine prey. Point well known. Stable isotope count surveys along the Penob- analysis of birds and their prey scot and other rivers will offer will provide insight into food insight into how habitat metrics resource linkages. These data (within-river, surrounding land- will also provide a baseline to scape, and barriers [dams, compare to a future restored falls]) relate to RBA. Using watershed where marine fish Penobscot sites we can directly may represent a more signifi- measure changes before and cant food source to river forag- after dam removal and moni- ing birds. toring sites on other rivers can Research for this serve as a comparison to the project was initiated in the fall restored watershed. of 2008 and will continue in the One consequence of short-term through fall 2012 the dam removal on the Penob- and long-term approximately scot River will be to open pas- 10 years post-dam removal. Bald Eagle with Fish Prey sageways for spawning sea-run Funding for this project comes By Kirk Rogers
Monitoring Changes in Resident Fish Communities and Anadromous Sea Lamprey in Sedgeunkedunk Stream (Penobscot Co., Maine) after Low-Head Dam Removal by Cory Gardner, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology, 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME 04469- 5775 Phone: (207)581-1340, [email protected]; Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology; Joseph Zydlewski, USGS Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit; and Rory Saunders, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service.
Sedgeunkedunk low. Sampling immediately nobscot watershed and else- Stream is a third-order tribu- following dam removal de- where targeted for dam re- tary to the Penobscot River. tected a drop in fish abundance moval, and our results will help Two dams were removed as and richness below the dam, guide monitoring efforts for part of a restoration project to and a rise in fish abundance future restorations. This work improve fish passage and re- above the dam. This confirmed was funded by NOAA, Univer- store anadromous fishes. The our ability to detect changes in sity of Maine upper dam was replaced with a the system. Department rock-ramp fish-way in 2008. Monitoring of sea of Wildlife The lower dam was removed lamprey, the only prominent Ecology and in August of 2009. Starting in anadromous species present in the USGS- 2008, Sedgeunkedunk Stream the stream, began in 2008. Maine Coop- was electrofished twice a year, Adults were captured entering erative Fish in order to collect data on all in the stream and PIT tagged. and Wildlife fish species present. Sea lamprey activity was moni- Research Data show consistent tored and abundance was esti- Unit and is trends of lower fish abundance mated using MARK. This resto- ongoing. and species richness, above the ration will serve as a model for Sampling on the Sedgeunkedunk Stream, Maine. lowest dam, compared to be- other small streams in the Pe- By Steve Coghlan Page 4 Penobscot River Research Newsletter
Katahdin Iron Works and its Effect on the Water Quality of the West Branch of the Pleasant River by Mark Whiting, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, 106 Hogan Road, Suite 6, Bangor, ME 04401Phone (207) 356-5977, [email protected]
Katahdin Iron Works in Blood Brook. This stream is affected by acid mine drainage, (KIW) was active from 1840- listed as impaired due to and aluminum and nickel ex- 1890 and included a smelting “legacy pollutants” from the ceed state standards for pro- operation on the banks of the mining and smelting. Blood tecting aquatic communities. West Brook flows into the West However, the West Branch Branch of Branch, one of the more pro- and control sites maintained the Pleas- ductive Atlantic salmon rivers healthy water chemistry even ant River in the western Penobscot wa- in extreme flows, with one (a tribu- tershed. State fishery biologists exception (right at KIW on tary of wanted to know if the West only one date). No remedial the Pe- Branch has been impacted. action is recommended at this nobscot ). Maine Department of Environ- time. The ore mental Protection (DEP) col- This project was was lected water samples for lab funded by Maine DEP and a mined analysis during the 2007 and final report will be posted at from 2009 field seasons. The water http://www.maine.gov/dep/ nearby chemistry of Blood Brook is blwq/docmonitoring/salmon/ Iron compared with upstream and index.htm Mountain. downstream sites on the West Katahdin Iron Ore Pit The ore weathers to form acid Branch and on four control By Mark Whiting mine drainage which is evident sites. Blood Brook is clearly
Alewife Population Structure in the Gulf of Maine by Theodore Willis, University of Southern Maine, 350 Commercial St., Portland, Maine 04101, Phone (207) 228-1673, [email protected]
The need for in- tensive stocking effort. Know- ture and project effectiveness. depth investigations of river ing the current regional (Gulf This project is a herring behavior and life his- of Maine) genetic population cooperative effort between tory is vitally important now as structure, as well as what ef- NOAA Fisheries Service, US many believe bycatch, directed fects stocking (or lack of) has Fish and Wildlife Service, and harvest, and habitat loss have had on the local population the University of Southern pushed these species to the structure will allow managers Maine to analyze the genetic edge of collapse. Stock assess- to evaluate the effects of past diversity and structure of Alosa ment data point to declines of stocking and consider the long- populations in the Gulf of 90% in the last 20 years in the term effects of stocking vs. Maine (GOM) using DNA mi- river herring commercial fish- natural recolonization in plan- crosatellites. Fifty tissue sam- ery. Past experience in the ning future Alosa restoration ples will be collected for ge- Kennebec River watershed projects. netic analysis from locations in (Edwards Dam 1999) demon- The primary objec- the GOM, primarily along the strated the value of alewives as tive of this study is to deter- Maine coast, including the Pe- a low effort, high return, high mine whether selecting indi- nobscot and the Kennebec visibility species for restoration. viduals from multiple geneti- rivers. Individuals will be geno- How- cally distinct populations may typed at 6-10 microsatellite ever, result in a loss of fitness due to loci. The genotypic data will be there is outbreeding depression be- used to characterize genetic a risk cause of incompatibility among diversity in each population, of los- distinct, locally adapted gene determine the relationships of ing complexes. Ultimately, this populations, and estimate long rem- study will provide sufficient and short-term rates of mixing nant information for managers to among populations and the River Herring genetic distinctness and associ- develop restoration scenarios genetic effective size of popula- By Theodore Willis ated phenotypic adaptations to along a gradient of maximized tions. local conditions with any ex- maintenance of genetic struc- Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 5
Penobscot River Alewife Upstream Migration Study, 2009 by Kevin Dunham, Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat, 650 State Street, Bangor, Maine 04401, Phone: (207) 941-4486, [email protected] and Oliver Cox and Gail Wippelhauser, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat.
Information on sea- ponder tags and released in the possible the alewives spawned in run alewife (Alosa pseudoharen- Veazie head pond to establish the Veazie Head pond. Funding gus) escapement and passage whether alewives were able to was provided by NOAA Marine above the Veazie Dam, Penob- migrate above the Milford Fisheries Service. scot River, is currently defi- Dam. No tags were detected cient. The original fishway trap at the Milford fishway. was not designed to hold small- Several possibilities 800 50 bodied fishes. Alewives have exist for the attrition of ale- Sea-Run Alewives Total Count = 2,336 700 Discharge been documented to pass the wives. Passage beyond Great Water Temperature
40 C) fishway and through the trap. Works Dam would have been 300 o
To capture alewives, the trap difficult given the flow condi- 30 was modified by attaching 2.54 tions. Alewives could have 200 cm coated wire mesh to the migrated up Blackman 20 interior sides and floor. Stream towards Chemo
A total of 2,336 ale- Pond; however, prior to 2010 Sea-Run Alewives 100 10 (cfs x 1,000) Discharge wives were captured between there was no passage into ( Temperature Water
May 7, and June 22, 2009. In Chemo Pond. Another alterna- 0 0 2008, before modification, only tive was the use of Great 2 alewives were caught. A total Works Stream to access a dead 6/1/09 6/8/09 of 199 alewives were implanted water area above an impound- 5/11/09 5/18/09 5/25/09 6/15/09 6/22/09 with passive integrated trans- ment with passage. It is also Daily sea run alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) counts at the Veazie Fishway Trap, Penobscot River, Veazie, Maine.
Penobscot River Adult Atlantic Salmon Trap at Veazie Dam, 2009 Summary by Kevin Dunham, Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat, 650 State Street, Bangor, Maine 04401, Phone: (207) 941-4486, [email protected] and Mitch Simpson and Oliver Cox, Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat.
The Veazie Dam nobscot River. Six hundred and erations of the Veazie Fishway Fishway Trap was operated by seventy nine salmon were Trap was provided by NOAA- Maine Department of Marine transported to Craig Brook Fisheries Service. Resources (DMR) daily from National Fish Hatchery. Of May 4 through October 30, those, 575 remained on station 2009. The objectives were to as brood and 104 were subse- 100 50 enumerate Atlantic salmon quently released into the Up- Atlantic Salmon returns, collect biological data per Piscataquis in October as Discharge Water Temperature (e.g. age, origin, fork length, and part of an adult telemetry 80 40 C) Total Count = 1,958 o fin condition), observe hatchery study . The median capture marks and tags applied prior to date was June 18, the earliest 60 30 release as smolts or parr, and median return date on record to collect brood stock for the for the Veazie trap. 40 20 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During late October Atlantic Salmon Atlantic
A total of 1,958 At- and November, DMR docu- 20 10 x (cfs 1,000)Discharge lantic salmon (945 females, 815 mented 340 redds as part of ( Temperature Water males, 197 grilse, and 1 un- our limited survey (Mainstem, 0 0 known; 1871 hatchery origin 1; Pleasant Drainage, 152; Pis- May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov and 87 naturally reared) re- cataquis, 142; Mattawamkeag, turned to Veazie. We released 7; and other tributaries, 38). Daily Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar) counts at the Veazie Fishway 1,278 salmon back to the Pe- Funding for the op- Trap in 2009, Penobscot River, Veazie, Maine. Page 6 Penobscot River Research Newsletter
Penobscot River Restoration: Monitoring Marine-Freshwater Food Web Linkages Using Stable Isotopes by Karen Wilson, University of Southern Maine Department of Environmental Sciences, 106 Bailey Hall, 37 College Ave, Gorham, ME 04038, Phone (207) 780-5395, [email protected]; Graham Sherwood, Gulf of Maine Research Institute; Jonathan Grabowski, Gulf of Maine Research Institute; Theodore Willis, University of Southern Maine; and Joshua Royte, The Nature Conservancy.
The objective of the we have begun collecting sam- that has the capability to re- Penobscot River Restoration ples for a stable isotope analy- cover quickly, and top fish Project is to improve diadro- sis as a means to estimate en- predators in the marine (e.g., mous fish ergy flows before and after cod) and freshwater (e.g., passage be- dam removals/modifications. smallmouth bass) systems. tween the Stable isotope studies are use- Sampling began in upper reaches ful because isotope signatures 2009 funded by The Nature of the river of consumers reflect the iso- Conservancy and will continue and the near- tope values of their prey, which in 2010 with funding from the shore marine in turn can be used to infer Penobscot River Restoration environment habitat associations and level in Trust and made possible by the (in Penobscot the food chain. Our approach NOAA Restoration Center and Bay). In order will provide trophic position of the American Recovery and to observe key predators and percent Reinvestment Act. linkages be- reliance on energy from migra- tween these tory fish in response to Penob- two systems scot restoration activities. We Sampling for Benthic and how increased connectivity will focus our efforts on ale- Invertebrates may benefit different species, wife, as a diadromous species By Karen Wilson
Evaluating Changes in Diadromous Species Distributions and Habitat Accessibility Following the Penobscot River Restoration Project by Tara Trinko, NOAA Fisheries Service, Maine Field Station, 17 Godfrey Dr. Suite 1, Orono, ME, 04473, Phone (207) 866-4238 [email protected]; Kyle Ravana, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology; and Rory Saunders, NOAA Fisheries Service.
The Penobscot River diadromous species in the Pe- results demonstrate that the Restoration Project (PRRP) is a nobscot Basin following the PRRP is an important step to- multimillion-dollar endeavor PRRP. Using previously com- ward ecosystem recovery in that aims to restore native sea- piled accounts of historic range the Penobscot Basin, but other run fish and barrier survey data, we restoration activities will be through the modeled species-specific distri- needed in order to realize the removal of butions and river access for 11 full potential of the PRRP. two main- species following the proposed This project is near completion stem dams dam removals and compared and funding was provided by and im- these against the current NOAA Fisheries. proved fish ranges and accessibility. For passage at a some species such as Atlantic third dam sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus on the Pe- oxyrinchus), the PRRP will pro- nobscot vide access to 100% of their River. We historic freshwater habitat. used geo- However, for alewives (Alosa graphic pseudoharengus), approximately information 66% of historic spawning and systems (GIS) to quantify rearing habitat will remain inac- Penobscot River at changes in species distribution cessible due to the presence of Milford Dam By Tara Trinko and habitat accessibility for 11 other passage barriers. These Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 7
Barrier Removal in Sedgeunkedunk Stream: Sea Lamprey Re-colonization and Implications for Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration by Robert S. Hogg, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, (207) 581-1340, [email protected]; Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Cory Gardner, and Silas Ratten, University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology; Joseph Zydlewski, USGS Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit; and Kevin Simon, University of Maine School of Biology and Ecology.
Sedgeunkedunk that sea lamprey will re-colonize removals will allow us to test Stream, a tributary to the Pe- newly accessible habitat and our hypotheses. nobscot River, historically sup- provide an influx of marine- Funding ported several anadromous fish derived nutrients. Furthermore, has been species including sea lamprey we hypothesize that sea lamprey provided by and endangered Atlantic salmon. may “condition” degraded habi- Maine Sea Several small dams constructed tat via physical modification of Grant, in the late 1800s reduced or substrate during spawning. Atlantic eliminated spawning runs en- Lamprey were tracked in the Salmon tirely. As of late 2009, a small system prior to barrier remov- Federation, population of sea lamprey used als in 2008, and collections of NOAA, the accessible portion of Sedge- substrate and productivity met- USGS, and unkedunk regularly for spawning rics were initiated in 2009. Data University and rearing. Efforts to restore collection will continue through- of Maine. marine-freshwater connectivity out the 2010 and 2011 field in the system have included the seasons. Comparing lamprey construction of a rock-ramp abundances, stream productiv- fishway in 2008 and the removal ity, and fine-scale habitat of a dam in 2009. We anticipate changes before and after barrier Sedgeunkedunk Stream, Maine By Robert Hogg
Penobscot River Fish Assemblage Survey by Brandon Kulik, Senior Fisheries Scientist. Kleinschmidt Associates, 141 Main Street Pittsfield, ME. Phone (207) 487-3328, [email protected]
Removal of a number established throughout the Restoration Trust with funds of significant migration barriers lower 40 miles of the mainstem from the American Recovery on the Penobscot River, Maine and on six major tributaries. and Reinvestment Act via the will have implications for resto- Each site is surveyed annually NOAA Restoration Center, ration for anadromous Atlantic during June and September to NOAA Fisheries. salmon, alosid, and other native document pre-project seasonal diadromous species presently changes in fish assemblage surviving as relict populations. structure due to reproduction Two hydroelectric dams in the and migration. Reaches of the lower river will be removed, river presently inhabited by and enhanced fish passage will anadromous species were sur- be provided at two additional veyed more frequently to bet- dams. Shifts in mesohabitat ter document the transient structure, habitat connectivity, spring migrations. The study predator-prey relations, and re establishes a quantitative pre- -influx of marine nutrients are project baseline throughout expected to include re- key segments of the river and structuring of riverine fish com- provides a template so that munities. ongoing monitoring after the This study involves physical restoration is com- multi-year monitoring of the pleted can measure the eco- pre- and post-project fish com- logical response. munity, and use of IBI metrics The project is ongoing and Electrofishing on the Penobscot to index the ecological changes. funded by The Nature Conser- By Brandon Kulik A total of 20 stations were vancy and the Penobscot River Page 8 Penobscot River Research Newsletter
Movement Patterns of Shortnose Sturgeon in Coastal Maine Waters by Gayle Zydlewski, University of Maine School of Marine Sciences, Orono, ME, (207) 581-4365, [email protected]; Phillip Dionne, University of Maine School of Marine Sciences; Gail Wipplehauser, Maine Department of Marine Resources; Joseph Zydlewski, USGS Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit; and Michael Kinnison, University of Maine School of Biology and Ecology.
Although marked Penobscot River were docu- the region, new challenges for shortnose sturgeon mented moving to the Kenne- researchers studying this spe- (Acipenser brevirostrum) bec River, a distance of over cies, and new concerns about have been captured in 150 km. Since 2008, acoustic the importance of these previ- rivers adjacent to their monitoring efforts have been ously over looked river sys- original capture site and expanded to six additional tems to the recovery of this in coastal waters, move- coastal rivers to determine species. Future research efforts ments between river whether these rivers are also in this region will include sam- systems are considered used by shortnose sturgeon. Of pling and tagging in multiple rare. Based on this as- the eight rivers monitored, river systems, and analyzing sessment of their life shortnose sturgeon have been microchemistry of scutes to history, shortnose stur- documented in six. Data col- determine river of origin. This geon are managed under lected from these rivers de- is an ongoing study currently the U.S. ESA as 19 river- scribes the timing and direction funded by the NOAA Fisheries specific, distinct popula- of coastal movements. The high through the Maine Department tion segments. In 2007, degree of coastal mobility and of Marine Resources. Sampling for Shortnose Sturgeon. 42% of 28 acoustically exchange we have observed By Bridget Besaw Photo pursuant tagged shortnose stur- introduces new questions to ESA permit #1595. geon captured in the about population dynamics in
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