Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawn in the St. Marys River Rapids, Michigan
The St. Marys River connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron, comprising the international border between Michigan, United States, and Ontario, Canada. This Great Lakes connecting channel naturally encompasses various habitats including lakes, wetlands, islands, tributaries, side channels, and main channels. The St. Marys River Rapids are shallow rock areas with high flow velocities (>1 m/s) in the upper river adjacent to the navigation locks and electric power generating stations, while the Little Rapids are shallow, recently restored rocky areas with lower velocities located about 7 km downstream. The St. Marys River Rapids provide important spawning habitat for several native and introduced fishes, but spawning by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) was not previously documented. We sampled for lake sturgeon eggs and larvae in both locations during June and July 2018–2019 using weekly benthic egg mat lifts and overnight D-frame larval fish drift nets. Viable lake sturgeon eggs (11 in 2018, 45 in 2019) were collected in the tailrace of a hydroelectric power facility adjacent to the St. Marys River Rapids. Larval lake sturgeon (21 in 2018, 1 in 2019) were collected in the same area as the eggs. Neither lake sturgeon eggs nor larvae were collected at Little Rapids in either year. Our results are the first documentation of successful lake sturgeon spawning and larval drift in the upper St. Marys River. While our observations showed spawning in a human-made tailrace area, the fate of larvae produced here is unknown and warrants further research.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Title | Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawn in the St. Marys River Rapids, Michigan |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jglr.2020.07.005 |
| Authors | Edward F. Roseman, Eric John Adams, Robin L. DeBruyne, J. Gostiaux, H. Harrington, K. Kapuscinski, A. Moerke, C. Olds |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Journal of Great Lakes Research |
| Index ID | 70217542 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Great Lakes Science Center |
Related Content
Fish eggs collected in the St. Clair, Detroit, and St. Marys rivers, 2005-2018
Related Content
- Data
Fish eggs collected in the St. Clair, Detroit, and St. Marys rivers, 2005-2018
A long-term, multiseason, fish egg sampling program is conducted annually on the Detroit, Saint Clair, and Saint Marys rivers to identify where productive fish spawning habitat currently exists. Egg mats were placed on the river bottom during the spring and fall at historic spawning areas, candidate fish spawning habitat restoration sites, and completed spawning habitat restoration sites throughou - Connect