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Gulf Sturgeon Recovery/Management Plan

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Gulf Sturgeon Recovery/Management Plan ijp; ,«• GULF STURGEON RECOVERY/MANAGEMENT PLAN P ,..r / c \ Peart I Mobile Choctawha tehee Ochloc Pascagoula Ye Ho Blackwater Apatactiicota E sca m b ia Su<rranna Lake Pontchartraln Mississippi Tampa 8ay^ EJCvi'S GULF OF MEXICO Charlotte Harbor 'i Florida Bay DWH-AR0167212 GULF STURGEON (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) RECOVERY/MANAGEMENT PLi»iN Prepared by The Gulf Sturgeon Recovery/Management Task Team for Southeast Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Atlanta, Georgia and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission Ocean Springs, Mississippi and National Marine Fisheries Service Washington, D.C. Approved: Date: Noreen K. Clough Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Approved: Date : 1 9 ' ' ^ - X Edwin J. Conklin Chairman, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission SEP ! 5 1995 Approved: Date: R o lla^ A. Schmitterf Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service DWH-AR0167213 DISCLAIMER PAGE Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions which are believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, state agencies, and others. Objectives will be attained and any necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. They represent the official position of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service onlv after they have been signed by the Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Assistant Director for Fisheries of the National Marine Fisheries Service as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery tasks. DWH-AR0167214 LITERATURE CITATIONS Literature citations should read as follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. 1995. Gulf Smrgeon Recovery Plan. Atlanta, Georgia. 170 pp. Additional copies of this plan may be purchased from: Fish and Wildlife Reference Service: 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 Telephone: 301/492-6403 or 1-800-582-3421 Fee for recovery plans vary, depending upon the number of pages. 11 DWH-AR0167215 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Gulf sturgeon would not have received federal protection without the dedication and persistence of a few individuals who raised our consciousness of the plight of this prehistoric species. Alan Huff completed the first life history of Gulf sturgeon and has since been influential in shaping recovery and restoration efforts. Dr. Archie Carr realized the magnificence of this subspecies, initiating sturgeon studies on the Apalachicola and Suwarmee rivers. Each of his sons helped him through the years, the last being Stephen, who has continued the studies after Dr. Carr’s death. Stephen’s work has resulted in a long-term commitment to the subspecies. The Carrs were funded in their efforts by The Florida Phipps Foundation founded by Mr. John H. (Ben) Phipps. The Foundation continues to support Stephen Ccirr’s work. Mr. Jim Barkuloo, while with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), was instrumental in persuading the FWS to list the species. Dr. Michael Bentzieii completed the tedious procedural work to list the subspecies and has continued to support the team’s efforts in preparing the Recovery Plan. The Gulf States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida provided protection for the Gulf sturgeon before the subspecies was listed, by prohibiting take of "sturgeon." The states continue to provide protection through implementation of surveys and studies on the Gulf sturgeon so that management decisions can be based on scientific data. m DWH-AR0167216 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Species Status: The current population levels of Gulf sturgeon in rivers other than the Suwannee and Apalachicola are unknown, but are thought to be reduced from historic levels. Historically, the subspecies occurred in most major rivers from the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, and marine waters of the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico to Florida Bay. Habitat Requirements and Limiting Factors: The Gulf sturgeon is an anadromous fish which migrates from salt water into large coastal rivers to spawn and spend the warm months. The majority of its life is spent in fresh water. Major population limiting factors are thought to include barriers (dams) to historical spawning habitats, loss of habitat, poor water quality, and overfishing. Recoverv Objectives: The short-term recovery objective is to prevent further reduction of existing wild popmlations of Gulf sturgeon. The long-term recovery objective is to establish population levels that would allow delisting of the Gulf sturgeon in discrete management units. Gulf sturgeon in discrete management units could be delisted by 2023, if the required criteria are met. Following delisting, a long-term fishery management objective is to establish self- sustaining populations that could withstand directed fishing pressure within discrete management units. Recoverv Criteria: The short-term recovery objective will be considered achieved for a management unit when the catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) during monitoring is not declining from the baseline level over a 3 to 5-year period. This objective will apply to all management unitj; within the range of the subspecies. Management units will be defined using an ecosystem approach based on river drainages, but may also incorporate genetic affinities among populationf; in different river drainages. Baselines will be determined by fishery independent CPUE levels. The long-term recovery objective will be considered achieved for a management unit when the population is demonstrated to be self-sustaining and efforts are underway to restore lost or degraded habitat. A self-sustaining population is one in which the average rate of natural; recruitment is at least equal to the average mortality rate in a 12-year period. While this objective will be sought for all management units, it is recognized that it may not be achievable for all management units. The long-term fishery management objective will be considered attained for a given management unit when a sustainable yield can be achieved while maintaining a stable population through natural recruitment. Note that the objective is not necessarily the opening of a management unit to fishing, but rather the development of a population that can sustain a fishery. Opening a population to fishing will be at the discretion of state(s) within, whose jurisdiction(s) the management unit occurs. As with the long-term recovery objective, this objective may not be achievable for all management units, but will be sought for all units. IV DWH-AR0167217 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (continued) Priority 1 Recoverv Tasks: 1. Develop and implement standardized population sampling and monitoring techniques (1.3.1). 2. Develop and implement regulatory framework to eliminate introductions of non- indigenous stock or other smrgeon species (2.5.3). 3. Reduce or eliminate incidental mortality (2.1.2). 4. Restore the benefits of namral riverine habitats (2.4.5). 5. Utilize existing authorities to protect habitat and where inadequate, recommend new laws and regulations (2.3.1). Costs ($000’s) of Priority 1 Tasks: Year Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 Action 4* Action 5 FY 1 59 0 125 26 29 F Y 2 73 25 125 48 29 FY 3 114 0 125 48 29 F Y 4 108 0 75 31 29 FY 5 108 0 25 0 0 Cost of No. 1 Priority Actions: $1,231,000 ’ ,/Vctual restoration costs undetermined Total Cost of Recoverv: $8,413,000 Date of Recoverv: Delisting should be initiated by 2023, for management units where recovery criteria have been met. DWH-AR0167218 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DISCLAIMER PA G E ............................................................................................................. i LITERATURE CITATIONS..............................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................... iii P:XECUTIVE SLFMMARY................................................................................................................iv GULF STURGEON RECOVERY/MANAGEMENT TASK TEAM ................................... ix PREFACE ..............................................................................................................................................xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................... xii LIST OF SYMBOLS ...................................................................................................................... xiii I. IN T R O D U C T IO N ........................................................................................................................ 1 NOMENCLATURE ............................................................................................................. 1 TAXONOMY ......................................................................................................................... 1 Type Specimens ..............................................................................................
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