Ecology and status of the endangered shortnose sturgeon in New Brunswick
The ecology of the shortnosed sturgeon is not well understood - the last collection of data was completed over 25 years ago - but it is known that without immediate action, the population will face extinction. To prevent losing this species, an understanding of the biology and population size must be gathered and an ambitious conservation strategy must be developed.
Considered a delicacy for its meat and caviar, the shortnose sturgeon is about 120cm long when it is full-grown and females can live to be over sixty-years old. Overfished until 1900 when the Canadian shortnose sturgeon fishery was closed, the population still has not bounced back. The slow reproduction rate is one of the reasons the population has not rebounded. Female sturgeons only produce offspring once they’ve reached age 15, and after that they only breed every 3 to 5 years. Adding to the population pressures are water pollution and gill-net fishing. The population is thought to still be declining, but at what rate?
To determine the population size, the ESRF-funded project team ventured out to New Brunswick to focus on the main tributary of the Saint John River, the only river system where shortnose sturgeons live. Since the project began in 2000 the team has caught 1000 sturgeon, tagged them, taken measurements and released them back into the river. This brief interaction allowed research data to be gathered on the size of the population as well as the species physical growth rate.
This data will provide critical baseline knowledge on the shortnose sturgeon that will help to create a practical conservation strategy to save the species.
Considered a delicacy for its meat and caviar, the shortnose sturgeon is about 120cm long when it is full-grown and females can live to be over sixty-years old. Overfished until 1900 when the Canadian shortnose sturgeon fishery was closed, the population still has not bounced back. The slow reproduction rate is one of the reasons the population has not rebounded. Female sturgeons only produce offspring once they’ve reached age 15, and after that they only breed every 3 to 5 years. Adding to the population pressures are water pollution and gill-net fishing. The population is thought to still be declining, but at what rate?
To determine the population size, the ESRF-funded project team ventured out to New Brunswick to focus on the main tributary of the Saint John River, the only river system where shortnose sturgeons live. Since the project began in 2000 the team has caught 1000 sturgeon, tagged them, taken measurements and released them back into the river. This brief interaction allowed research data to be gathered on the size of the population as well as the species physical growth rate.
This data will provide critical baseline knowledge on the shortnose sturgeon that will help to create a practical conservation strategy to save the species.