The Feasibility of Lake Sturgeon Microchemistry in the St. Lawrence River

Due to serious declines, a number of U.S. states and Canadian provinces have developed and implemented Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) recovery plans.  As a component of their recovery efforts, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) began stocking Lake Sturgeon fall fingerlings in 1995 to maintain, restore, and create populations in 12 river and lake systems within the state.  These include Black Lake, Oneida Lake, Oswegatchie River, and St. Lawrence River.  While there does appear to be an increase in catch rates in the St. Lawrence River (above the Moses-Saunders hydropower facility), the origins and movement patterns of these fish are somewhat unknown.  The objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of using pectoral fin ray microchemistry to determine environmental life history of Lake Sturgeon in St. Lawrence River.  To accomplish this objective, a microchemical analysis was conducted on water samples from 10 sites on the St. Lawrence River, its tributaries, and the DEC Oneida Fish Hatchery.  The results indicate a strong Sr:Ca difference (i.e., >20 units) between the hatchery sample and St. Lawrence River system samples.  These encouraging results suggest that Sr:Ca could be utilized to differentiate between hatchery and wild sturgeon.