Do Sturgeon Require Passports? A Collaborative Research Effort to Describe Lake Sturgeon Seasonal Distribution Between the Namakan River (Canada) and Reservoir (United States)

The Namakan River and Reservoir system lies on the boundary of Canada and the United States. This system is an important area for lake sturgeon, a species listed as special concern in both countries. A total of 60 adult lake sturgeon were caught and implanted with acoustic transmitters in May of 2007 by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Canada) and in May 2008 by Voyageur National Park (United States). Movement was recorded using 15 receivers along the Namakan River, the population’s main spawning tributary, and 15 receivers within the Namakan Reservoir. Both datasets, managed by each country’s respective agency, were shared in 2011. Merging the separate telemetry datasets allowed for an understanding of individual and population movement trends across the entirety of the system. As a result, patterns were detected for spring migrations, overwintering locations and potential spawning areas. The combined effort from both sides of the border will help in future management and protection efforts of lake sturgeon in this system.