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DIET OF AND PREY AVAILABILITY FOR

REINTRODUCED JUVENILE LAKE STURGEON

(Acipenser fulvescens) IN THE UPPER TENNESSEE

RIVER BASIN Todd Amacker

October 14th, 2015 | 12:20 PM | Plant Biotech. 160

THE LAKE STURGEON

Acipenser fulvescens Josephe Huët 1868

Harkness and Dymond 1961

ECOMORPHOLOGY

A “Supra-benthic cruiser” with unique adaptations…

Peterson and Vecsei 2004

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BACKGROUND

Overharvesting Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Degradation

MECHANISMS FOR DECLINE

Pollock et al. 2015

REINTRODUCTION

1995

DRAFTED LAKE STURGEON MANAGEMENT PLAN

RESTORE SELF-SUSTAINING POPULATION

“TENNESSEE RIVER LAKE STURGEON WORKING GROUP”  

SLSWG Management Plan 2013

REINTRODUCTION

HATCHERY PRODUCTION PROGRAM

~200,000 LAKE STURGEON STOCKED TO DATE

SLSWG Management Plan 2013

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KNOWLEDGE GAP

RESEARCH EFFORTS IN THE SOUTHEAST

RESEARCH EFFORTS IN NORTHERN REACHES

Bezold and Peterson 2008

IN A NUTSHELL:

What’s available for them to eat vs

What they are actually eating and

Why does it matter?

STUDY AREA

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                   Why this study area?          

C. Saidak, unpublished data

PREY AVAILABILITY

PREY AVAILABILITY

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HARD SUBSTRATE

IDENTIFICATION

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IDENTIFICATION  

1  inch  

IDENTIFICATION

IDENTIFICATION

100 μm

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How do we find out what they actually eat?

STURGEON ROUND-UP

STURGEON ROUND-UP

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GASTRIC LAVAGE

COLONIC FLUSH

COLONIC FLUSH

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COLONIC FLUSH

TAKE DIET/PREY AVAILABILITY DATA

MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS?

COMPARE AND CONTRAST IT

ANALYSIS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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CITATIONS  

1) Bezold, J. and D.L. Peterson. 2008. Assessment of lake sturgeon reintroduction in the Coosa River system, Georgia–Alabama. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 62, Bethesda, Maryland.

2) Harkness, W.J.K., and J.R. Dymond. 1961. The lake sturgeon. Ontario Department of Lands

and Forests, Toronto. 3) Peterson, D.L., and P. Vecsei. 2004. Sturgeons and paddlefish of North America. Kluwer

Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. 4) Pollock, M.S., M. Carr, N.M. Kreitals, and I.D. Phillips. 2015. Review of a species in peril:

what we do not know about lake sturgeon may kill them. Environmental Reviews 23(1): 30-43.

5) Southeastern Lake Sturgeon Working Group. 2013. Lake sturgeon management plan for the

Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Asheville, NC.

QUESTIONS?  

>>>Todd Amacker tamacker@vols.utk.edu McCord Hall  

CITIZEN SCIENCE