Larval and Juvenile Sturgeon Distribution in the Hudson River Estuary, 1997 through 2013

The Hudson River Biological Monitoring Program has encountered early life stages of two endangered sturgeon species during its annual sampling on many occasions. Both Shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) have been captured in a Tucker trawl and an epibenthic sled intended for sampling ichthyoplankton, including eggs, yolk-sac larvae, post yolk-sac larvae and young-of-the-year specimens. The information gained from these samples (including location and date) contributes to the current knowledge about spawning locations and seasons in this large, tidal east coast estuary. We map the seasonal presence of larvae and young-of-the-year fish to examine where different life stages are in relation to each other. Data comes from samples collected over a 16-year time series from 1997-2013, and is also related to captures of sturgeon in other life stages, particularly juveniles, and the literature.