Observations on the natural history of the Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus de sotoi Vladykov 1955) in the Suwannee River, southeastern United States |
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| Authors: | S H Carr F Tatman F A Chapman |
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| Institution: | Caribbean Conservation Corporation, Gainesville;Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA |
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| Abstract: | From 1986 to 1994, we collected 3,098 Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus de sotoi) during their spring migration from the Gulf of Mexico to the Suwannee River, Florida. We estimated population size and described migratory and seasonal growth patterns of sturgeon in the Suwannee River, using data from tag returns, movement of ultrasonic-lagged fish and weight records. Population size estimates for 3.0- to 81.0-kg Gulf of Mexico sturgeon in the Suwannee River ranged from 1,504 to 3,066 fish. Sturgeon migrated from the Gulf of Mexico into the Suwannee River from mid-February to early May. Fish moved upstream and remained within a 2-km upstreamdownstream “home” area. These sites were closely associated with undenvater springs that discharge into the river. Sturgeon migrated downstream and into the Gulf of Mexico in October and November. In the Gulf of Mexico, ultrasonic-tagged fish were located in the Suwannee Sound area just north of Cedar Key, Florida. On an annual basis, fish gained an average of 20% of their body weight while in the Gulf of Mexico and lost about 12% of their weight during their stay in the Suwannee River. We observed movement of tagged sturgeon between the Suwannee and Apalachicola Rivers. |
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| Keywords: | sturgeon anadromous population estimate migration homing springs growth |
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