2017 Lake Huron Lake Sturgeon Working Group Report
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Prepared by members: Justin Chiotti (Chair) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Alpena FWCO Dave Borgeson Michigan Department of Natural Resources Lori Criger U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Marquette Biological Station Chris Davis Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Paul Sullivan Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada And non‐members: Edward Baker Michigan Department of Natural Resources Jim Baker Michigan Department of Natural Resources Darryl Hondorp U.S. Geological Survey – Great Lakes Science Center Serena Lake Lake Superior State University Doug Larson Department of Fisheries and Wildlife – Michigan State University Marlena McCabe University of Windsor Trevor Pitcher University of Windsor Kim Scribner Department of Fisheries and Wildlife – Michigan State University Jeff Speers Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Lexi Sumner Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Center 2017 Lake Huron Sturgeon Working Group Report This document is intended to provide an update regarding lake sturgeon activities within the Lake Huron basin. Please contact the agency leads listed for more information about a specific project. Location: Black Lake, MI Project Title: Molecular diet data quantify factors affecting levels of larval lake sturgeon predation by piscivorous fishes in the Black River, MI Project Description: Predation is a major factor affecting recruitment during early life stages of many fish species. Levels of predation of larval fish have been difficult to quantify using visual observations of gut contents. Development of genetic tools has made predation studies on larval fish more feasible. Potential fish predators of lake sturgeon larvae (N=1155) were collected in four 500‐m stream reaches dominated by sand (N=2) and gravel (N=2) substrates over 17 days during 2015 and 2016. Sampling of larvae dispersing from spawning areas was also conducted to estimate the nightly abundance of larval lake sturgeon and other potential prey (larvae of other fish species and macroinvertebrates) available to predators. Gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of predatory fish were dissected. DNA was extracted from the GI tract contents, and sturgeon‐specific PCR primers that amplify part of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I region of mitochondrial DNA were used to detect the presence of lake sturgeon DNA. Binomial logistic regression was used to assess the relative contributions of biotic (e.g. predator species, biomass of larval sturgeon in the drift) and abiotic variables (e.g. habitat substrate type, lunar phase) to variation in incidences of larval lake sturgeon predation. Metabarcoding using massively parallel sequencing of the 18S gene allowed identification of entire stomach contents, allowing analyses of prey selectivity. Project Duration: Spring 2015 – present Contact Information: Kim Scribner, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 517‐353‐3288, [email protected] Edward Baker, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 906‐249‐1611, ext 309, [email protected] Doug Larson, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 989‐733‐6176, [email protected] Location: Black Lake, MI Project Title: Behavior of juvenile lake sturgeon stocked above a hydropower dam Project Description Hydropower dams exist on most large Great Lakes tributaries and limit lake sturgeon access to historic spawning and juvenile rearing habitats. Providing lake sturgeon passage (adults upstream and adults and juveniles downstream) is widely believed to be a management action that could improve lake sturgeon rehabilitation in Great Lakes tributaries. However, managers have limited information on the behavior of juvenile lake sturgeon of different ages as they proceed downstream, during times they reside in reservoir habitats above dams or their fate as they pass through hydroelectric facilities. We have tagged (PIT and acoustic) and stocked juvenile (ages 0‐2) lake sturgeon above two hydropower dams in the Black River system and monitored their downstream movement, habitat use, and passage at the dams using passive PIT tag antennas and acoustic telemetry. Survival of fish passing through dams (N=1,569) has been high but variable. Dam passage survival rates ranged from 0.45‐1.0 and were related to fish age (size). Age‐0 fish passage survival estimates ranged from 0.71‐0.90. Fish residence time in reservoirs has varied from a few days to months. We have documented aspects of habitat use and availability in reservoirs and continue with data analysis. Project Duration: Spring 2014 – present Contact Information: Kim Scribner, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 517‐353‐3288, [email protected] Edward Baker, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 906‐249‐1611, ext 309, [email protected] Doug Larson, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 989‐733‐6176, [email protected] Location: Black Lake, MI Project Title: Variation in retention time: how riverine characteristics influence female spawning behavior, reproductive success, and ovarian quality in lake sturgeon Project Description: Spawning ground surveys conducted in 2012 and 2013 monitoring N=247 and 271, respectively, adult lake sturgeon indicated that females spent between 1 to 23 days on the spawning grounds with 60% of females spending only one day. Retention time (RT, the number of days on the spawning grounds) was influenced by initial arrival date, mean temperature, maximum discharge, and the number of males with the availability of mates having the largest influence. Female reproductive success (RS) determined using genetic parentage analysis ranged from 2 to 38 larvae, and varied due to initial arrival date onto the spawning grounds, mean temperature, maximum discharge, number of males, total length of males, and the operational sex ratio (OSR). Testosterone concentrations quantified in pre‐spawned females to determine ovary quality ranged from 0.29 to 136.94 ng/mL with two fish having levels indicative of atresia in 2013. Both atretic females were assigned larvae during parentage analysis that was below the mean RS. Ovary quality and RS did not vary due to RT. Results indicate that plasticity in the timing of female spawning does not negatively impact RS or ovary quality; however, female RS is largely influenced by environmental conditions and access to mates which are increasingly variable in riverine systems. Project Duration: Spring 2012 – present Contact Information: Kim Scribner, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 517‐353‐3288, [email protected] Edward Baker, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 906‐249‐1611, ext 309, [email protected] Doug Larson, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 989‐733‐6176, [email protected] Location: Black Lake, MI Project Title: Effects of parentage and microhabitat variation within adult‐selected spawning sites on lake sturgeon growth during early life stages Project Description: Understanding the impact of environmental variation on organismal traits during early life stages is essential for predicting changes in populations. Maternal effects including oviposition site selection are one source of variation. Female choice of sites can vary based on microhabitat variation which directly affects larval development and survival. However, the persistence of microhabitat effects across sequential early ontogenetic stages is limited. In 2013, we collected fertilized lake sturgeon eggs from the Black River, Michigan, just prior to hatch from an adult‐selected spawning location, and quantified three microhabitat variables (water depth, discharge, and substrate size). Larval body length, body area, and yolk‐sac area were quantified at hatch. Body size was measured for an additional four weeks post‐ emergence. Genetic‐based parentage analysis was conducted using fin clips. The traits at hatch varied due to the microhabitat variables, but not due to additive genetic effects. Growth significantly varied among larvae with the greatest range in body size observed at 41 days post‐hatch. Additive genetic variance covaried with age. Narrow‐sense heritability estimates for body length ranged from 0.45 to 0.64. Results demonstrate that female‐selected, microhabitat variation influenced offspring phenotypic variation at hatch, but had no influence on body length at sequential ontogenetic stages. Additionally, the additive genetic effects explained roughly half the variation observed in body size, but individuals showed considerable variation in growth which may be due to differences in the degree of plasticity among individuals. Project Duration: Spring 2012 – present Contact Information: Kim Scribner, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 517‐353‐3288, [email protected] Edward Baker, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 906‐249‐1611, ext 309, [email protected] Doug Larson, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 989‐733‐6176, [email protected] Location: Black Lake, MI Project Title: Factors Affecting Lake Sturgeon Spawning Migration in the Black River, MI Project Description: Variation in timing of spawning migrations for lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and duration of occupancy of spawning areas are often attributed to environmental cues (e.g., temperature, discharge, day length) or biotic (e.g., operational sex ratios). Using several passive detection systems (PIT antenna array), spawning migration data was collected from 341 lake sturgeon river migrations