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Caviar and Conservation Caviar and Conservation Status, Management, and Trade of North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Douglas F.Williamson May 2003 TRAFFIC North America World Wildlife Fund 1250 24th Street NW Washington DC 20037 Visit www.traffic.org for an electronic edition of this report, and for more information about TRAFFIC North America. © 2003 WWF. All rights reserved by World Wildlife Fund, Inc. All material appearing in this publication is copyrighted and may be reproduced with permission. Any reproduction, in full or in part, of this publication must credit TRAFFIC North America. The views of the author expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the TRAFFIC Network, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), or IUCN-The World Conservation Union. The designation of geographical entities in this publication and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of TRAFFIC or its supporting organizations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The TRAFFIC symbol copyright and Registered Trademark ownership are held by WWF. TRAFFIC is a joint program of WWF and IUCN. Suggested citation: Williamson, D. F. 2003. Caviar and Conservation: Status, Management and Trade of North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish. TRAFFIC North America. Washington D.C.: World Wildlife Fund. Front cover photograph of a lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) by Richard T. Bryant, courtesy of the Tennessee Aquarium. Back cover photograph of a paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) by Richard T. Bryant, courtesy of the Tennessee Aquarium. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface . .vii Acknowledgments . .ix I. INTRODUCTION . .1 II. GENERAL OVERVIEW . .7 2.1 Species Summaries . .7 2.2 Management and Regulation in the United States and Canada . .16 2.3 Legal and Illegal Trade . .18 2.4 Hatcheries and Commercial Aquaculture . .19 III. SPECIES SUMMARIES . .21 3.1 Atlantic Sturgeon . .22 3.2 Gulf Sturgeon . .34 3.3 Shortnose Sturgeon . .42 3.4 North American Paddlefish . .50 3.5 Shovelnose Sturgeon . .57 3.6 Pallid Sturgeon . .62 3.7 Alabama Sturgeon . .67 3.8 Lake Sturgeon . .72 3.9 White Sturgeon . .77 3.10 Green Sturgeon . .86 IV. MANAGEMENT AND REGULATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA . .91 4.1 Atlantic Sturgeon . .94 4.2 Gulf Sturgeon . .97 4.3 Shortnose Sturgeon . .98 4.4 North American Paddlefish . .100 4.5 Shovelnose Sturgeon . .116 4.6 Pallid Sturgeon . .121 4.7 Alabama Sturgeon . .123 4.8 Lake Sturgeon . .124 4.9 White Sturgeon . .133 4.10 Green Sturgeon . .141 i V. LEGAL AND ILLEGAL TRADE . .145 5.1 The Global Caviar Trade . .145 5.2 CITES and North American Acipenseriformes . .150 5.3 Legal Trade . .155 5.4 Illegal Trade . .175 VI. HATCHERIES AND COMMERCIAL AQUACULTURE . .183 6.1 Captive Propagation . .183 6.2 Commercial Aquaculture . .200 6.3 Discussion . .207 VII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . .215 7.1 Species Status/Conservation Challenges . .215 7.2 Management and Regulation . .216 7.3 Legal and Illegal Trade . .219 7.4 Captive Propagation and Commercial Aquaculture . .220 References . .223 ii TEXT BOXES Box 1. ESA, COSEWIC, CITES, IUCN Red List, and European Union Annexes . .14 Box 2. Kootenai River White Sturgeon . .82 Box 3. Federal Laws and Regulations Relevant to Acipenseriformes in the United States and Canada . .92 Box 4. MICRA . .. .101 Box 5. General CITES Permitting Requirements in the United States and Canada . .156 Box 6. TRAFFIC Analysis of LEMIS Data . .161 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Historic Atlantic Sturgeon Range . .23 Figure 2. Historic Gulf Sturgeon Range . .35 Figure 3. Shortnose Sturgeon Range . .43 Figure 4. Historic Paddlefish Range . .51 Figure 5. Historic Shovelnose Sturgeon Range . .58 Figure 6. Historic Pallid Sturgeon Range . .63 Figure 7. Current Alabama Sturgeon Range . .68 Figure 8. Current Lake Sturgeon Range . .73 Figure 9. White Sturgeon Range . .78 Figure 10. Kootenai River White Sturgeon Range . .82 Figure 11. Green Sturgeon Range . .88 iii LIST OF TABLES Section II. GENERAL OVERVIEW Table 2.1.1 Historic and Current Range of North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Species . .8 Table 2.1.2 Physical/Life History Characteristics of North American Acipenseriformes . .9 Table 2.1.3 Spawning Characteristics of North American Acipenseriformes . .10 Table 2.1.4 Habitat of North American Acipenseriformes . .11 Table 2.1.5 Historic Fisheries and Catch Levels of Sturgeon and Paddlefish in the United States and Canada . .12 Table 2.1.6 Classification of North American Paddlefish and Sturgeon Species Under ESA, COSEWIC, CITES, the IUCN Red List, and EU Annexes . .13 Table 2.1.7 Major Challenges/Threats to North American Acipenseriformes.
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