First documented spawning and associated habitat c

Authors: Alicia M Seesholtz Matthew J Manuel Joel P Van Eenennaam

Publish Date: 2014/08/02

Volume: 98, Issue: 3, Pages: 905-912

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Abstract

California’s Sacramento River mainstem was previously the only known spawning area for the Southern Distinct Population Segment of North American green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris Our study provides the first documentation of green sturgeon spawning in the Feather River a major tributary of the Sacramento River Egg mats were used to sample two lower Feather River sites from April 12 to July 7 2011 and we collected 13 green sturgeon eggs at one of those sites Developmental stages of the eggs ranged from early gastrulation Stage 15 to postneurulation Stage 27 which led us to estimate that four independent spawning events occurred between June 12 and June 19 Spawning occurred after a flow increase while water temperatures were at an optimum 175 °C for eggs Results suggest that the area near Thermalito Afterbay Outlet may be important green sturgeon spawning habitat and that the lower Feather River has the potential to provide a second production area of Southern Distinct Population Segment green sturgeon It should be noted that 2011 was a wet water year and supplemental sampling is needed to understand if wateryear type affects green sturgeon usage of the lower Feather River Given this new information future management decisions and water management strategies for the Feather River system should take green sturgeon lifehistory needs into considerationThis work was conducted by and funded as part of the Feather River Fisheries Program of the California Department of Water Resources We would like to give special thanks to the numerous Feather River field crew who made this study possible especially D Rocheleau T Vieira and K McAllister We appreciated comments received on this manuscript from R Kurth C Wilkinson J Kindopp Z Matica and two anonymous reviewers

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