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Habitat, Population, and Distribution Study of Lake Sturgeon in The

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Habitat, Population, and Distribution Study of Lake Sturgeon in The Population Characteristics and Adult Movement of Lake Sturgeon in the Lower Seine River System (Seine River downstream of Sturgeon Falls Generating Station) 2011-2014 Brian Jackson Amy Godwin Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Atikokan Area – Fort Frances District May 2015 In memory of Myron Johnson (1965-2015) i Executive Summary Prior to 2010, there was little information available about the lake sturgeon population of the Lower Seine River System (McLeod, 1999). With lake sturgeon being identified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in September 2009, there was a need to fill in the identified knowledge gaps regarding the species and its movements and spawning behaviour in the Seine River. There was also a requirement to assess effectiveness of changes to operation of the Sturgeon Falls Hydroelectric dam operation as part of the 2004 Seine River Water Management Plan (Boileau 2004). The project focussed on three information needs – adult population status, juvenile sturgeon monitoring and recruitment and adult sturgeon movement patterns. In addition, water level and temperature data was collected from two locations in the river to better understand how the Seine River flow and downstream lake levels may be interacting to affect lake sturgeon spawning habitat. Between 2011 and 2013, a study of adult lake sturgeon in the Lower Seine River System was initiated. Adult netting occurred out during the spring spawning window and again in the fall to gather information about the adult spawning population of the river. A total of 48 individual adult sturgeon were captured. Data from the three years of sampling the adult population have shown relatively low catches, with fewer older fish and fewer age classes suggesting a population that is less healthy and more at risk than other populations in the Rainy River watershed. Juvenile sturgeon monitoring occurred in spring of 2012, spring and fall of 2013 and fall of 2014. By focussing efforts on deep (>10m) holes in we were able to effectively capture sturgeon from age 0 to 5 years (71 individual sturgeon captured in 2013, 43 in 2014). Age and size of juveniles captured varied by location in the river. There was also considerable variation in year class representation although it is not clear at this time how much of this is influenced by vulnerability of different size/age groups to the capture gear and how much is due to differences in annual recruitment. The 2012-14 work has demonstrated an effective method to monitor juvenile sturgeon as an approach to assess impacts of Sturgeon Falls dam operation on recruitment of lake sturgeon in the Seine River and adjust mitigation actions as required. After monitoring movement of 14 sturgeon in the Seine River between spring of 2011 and fall of 2014 and an additional 10 fish for 2013 and 2014, we have confirmed that lake sturgeon move upstream into the Seine River from Rainy Lake to spawn downstream of the Sturgeon Falls generating station and potentially at the Highway 11 bridge site. The data indicates that most lake sturgeon are spending fall and winter in Rainy Lake with a portion moving into the river and up to spawning areas during the spring and then returning to Rainy Lake during the summer/early fall. This information will assist in defining when Sturgeon Falls Generating Station operation is most likely to impact sturgeon populations. There are also questions about the relationship between fish spawning in the Seine River and those spawning at other locations in Rainy Lake such as the Namakan River inflow (Squirrel/Kettle Falls) or the Turtle River (Sand Island Falls). Additional receivers have been placed in Rainy Lake sites to help with understand the relationship between lake sturgeon living within the Rainy Lake system. ii Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... ii Purpose of Study ................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 Part I: Population Characteristics of Adult Lake Sturgeon in the Lower Seine River System ..... 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 6 Methods ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................... 7 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 12 Part II: Population Characteristics and Distribution of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon in the Lower Seine River System .............................................................................................................. 13 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 13 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 15 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................. 15 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 25 Part III: Movement Patterns of Adult Lake Sturgeon in the Lower Seine River System .......... 27 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 27 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 27 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................. 29 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 39 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 40 References .......................................................................................................................... 41 Appendix I – Adult Netting Data .......................................................................................... 43 Appendix II - Juvenile Netting Data ...................................................................................... 44 Appendix III - Movements of individual lake sturgeon captured and tagged in the Seine River ........................................................................................................................................... 48 iii Purpose of Study The primary purpose of this study is to determine the status of the lake sturgeon population in the Seine River and any effects of the operation and flow regime of the Sturgeon Falls generating station as prescribed by the Seine River Water Management Plan (Boileau 2004) might be having on lake sturgeon spawning and recruitment in the Lower Seine River System. It will also expand the baseline information available on lake sturgeon in the Seine River which is needed to monitor the effects of the operation of the stations on the species according to regulations under the Endangered Species Act. This will be accomplished by investigating habitat availability, population characteristics, recruitment and distribution and movement of lake sturgeon in the Lower Seine River System. There may be other factors impacting the lake sturgeon spawning population in the Seine River other than flow regime which is being investigated by this study. Information from this project will also be used to assess the relative impact of the flow and level management is having on the lake sturgeon population using the Seine River to spawn. Introduction Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), also known as Name (Ojibwe), are Ontario’s largest and longest-lived fish species. They also have one of the lowest rates of reproduction and are sensitive to both over exploitation and habitat alterations. The life history traits exhibited by lake sturgeon, including large body size, late age of maturation, low natural mortality, longevity and high fecundity have allowed this species to survive short term extremes in environmental conditions and have contributed to the long term success of the species (Golder 2011). The species has exhibited a remarkable ability to adapt to change over periods of many centuries. The decline of this species over much of its range, over a relatively short period of time (e.g., since the late 1800s) suggests that lake sturgeon are not able to adapt rapidly to changes in their environment caused by multiple stressors (e.g., high rates of exploitation coupled with habitat loss). Adaptation by populations or groups of organisms is generally measured over several generation times. The same life history characteristics that have helped this species survive in the past may contribute to the inability of sturgeon to adapt rapidly to changes in their environment or to recover quickly from perturbation (Golder 2011). Lake sturgeon spawn in rivers
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