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Demographics and Seasonal Diet Composition of Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus Rafinesque) in Wabash River

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Demographics and Seasonal Diet Composition of Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus Rafinesque) in Wabash River Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 2014 Demographics and Seasonal Diet Composition of Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque) in Wabash River Vaskar Nepal Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Biological Sciences at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Nepal, Vaskar, "Demographics and Seasonal Diet Composition of Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque) in Wabash River" (2014). Masters Theses. 1316. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1316 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THESIS MAINTENANCE AND REPRODUCTION CERTIFICATE TO: Graduate Degree Candidates (who have written formal theses) SUBJECT: Permission to Reproduce Theses An important part of Booth Library at Eastern Illinois University's ongoing mission is to preserve and provide access to works of scholarship. In order to further this goal, Booth Library makes all theses produced at Eastern llinois University available for personal study, research, and other not-for-profit educational purposes. Under 17 U.S.C. § 108, the library may reproduce and distribute a copy without infringing on copyright; however, professional courtesy dictates that permission be requested from the author before doing so. By signing this form: • You confirm your authorship of the thesis. • You retain the copyright and intellectual property rights associated with the original research, creative activity, and intellectual or artistic content of the thesis. • You certify your compliance with federal copyright law (Title 17 of the U.S. Code) and your right to authorize reproduction and distribution of all copyrighted material included in your thesis. • You grant Booth Library the non-exclusive, perpetual right to make copies of your thesis, freely and publicly available without restriction, by means of any current or successive technology, including but not limited to photocopying, microfilm, digitization, or Internet. • You acknowledge that by depositing your thesis with Booth Library, your work is available for viewing by the public and may be borrowed through the library's circulation and interlibrary departmenst or accessed electronically. • You waive the confidentiality provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) with respect to the contents of the thesis, including your name and status as a student at Eastern Illinois Univerity. Petition to Delay: I respectfully petition that Booth Library delay maintenance and reproduction of my thesis until the date specified and for the reasons below. I understand that my degree will not be conferred until the thesis is available for maintenance and reproduction. Date: Reasons: Author's Signature Date This form must be submitted in duplicate. DEMOGRAPHICS AND SEASONAL DIET COMPOSITION OF SHOVELNOSE STURGEON (SCAPHIRHYNCHUS PLATORYNCHUSRAFINESQVE) IN WABASH RIVER (TITLE) BY VASKAR NEPAL KC THESIS SUBMITIED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Science IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL. EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON. ILLINOIS 2014 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE THESIS COMMITTEE CHAIR DATE THESIS COMMIITEE MEMBER DATE THESIS COMMIITEE MEMBER DATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Robert E. Colombo for taking me under his wing, and for all the help he has provided over the years in completing this work. I also wish to thank my committee members Drs. Scott Meiners and Eric Bollinger for their help, support and suggestions. I am deeply indebted to Les Frankland, of Illinois DNR, for all the work he has done on this project over the last 14 years. As such, this thesis is his as much as mine, maybe more his than mine. I also want to thank him for being patient with me when I was learning the tricks of the trade. I also want to thank all the other IDNR fellows that have assisted in this project over the years. Parts of the data for this thesis also come from Tom Stefanavage and Craig Jansen from Indiana DNR. I want to thank them for allowing me to use some of their samples. There is a long list of fellow students at Eastern Illinois University that deserve acknowledgement for their help, support and encouragement: Cassi Moody and Manisha Pant have been indispensable at everything; Clint Morgeson and Ryan Hastings helped in sample collection; Amelia Missavage, Evan Boone and Steven Castaglia helped in processing a lot of samples. Finally, I want to thank my family for everything that they have done, for what they happily gave up to see me happy. My dad, mom, brother and wife can all see the fruits of their labor, and I hope I have made them proud. You have my utmost love, respect and acknowledgements. 11 ABSTRACT Shovelnose sturgeon Schaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque, one of the only sturgeon species that support a sustainable commercial harvest, are fished in a substantial caviar fishery in the lower Wabash River. However, ecological information on the population is sparse. In this thesis, I present information on the status and seasonal diet characteristics of the population. A 14-year long shovelnose sturgeon monitoring survey conducted by Illinois Department of Natural Resources shows that the population is in relatively good condition, faces low mortality rates, and has a high potential for recruitment. Study of the seasonal composition of diet suggests that shovelnose sturgeon generally get enough food throughout the year, and are thus, in good condition. I found that shovelnose sturgeon are opportunistic benthic invertivores, with Hydropsychidae and Chironomidae as the staple prey taxa for the fish. However, the sex-ratio of the population is highly male-biased, and the proportion of memorable-size fish is decreasing, likely due to the ongoing commercial harvest of ripe-and-running females. This poses potential problems regarding the sustainability of this fishery, and thus, management policies should be conservative until more information on optimal harvest of this fish is available. Key Words: shovelnose sturgeon, lower Wabash River, demographics, diet, harvest 111 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................... 3 POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SHOVELNOSE STURGEON IN THE LOWER WABASH RIVER, ILLINOIS ............................................................................ 7 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 8 METHODS ................................................................................................................... 10 Sampling ................................................................................................................... 10 Ageing ....................................................................................................................... 11 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 11 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 14 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 17 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................. 22 SEASONAL PATTERNS IN DIET COMPOSITION OF ADULT SHOVELNOSE STURGEON IN THE WABASH RIVER ........................................................................ 38 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 38 IV INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 39 METHODS ................................................................................................................... 41 Fish collection and necropsies .................................................................................. 41 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 41 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 42 Sample sturgeon demographics ................................................................................ 42 Diet analysis .............................................................................................................
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