Lake Sturgeon Habitat Requirements

Lake sturgeon are a long-lived slow growing species.

Lake sturgeon habitat requirements. Hence the restoration of spawning habitat has become a common practice with at least 17 projects completed in the last 20 years. The potential ecological implications of modifying habitat to benefit Lake Sturgeon must consider habitat requirements of other fish species. Habitat modification may also have significant implications to existing development and human activities which should be fully explored as local scale management strategies are developed.

Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens have experienced declines in numbers throughout their range due to historical overharvesting and more recent habitat degradation. The loss of spawning habitat has been identified as a limiting factor for population growth of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens a species that is endangered or threatened throughout its range. Habitat Requirements The lake sturgeon exists for the most part as a freshwater species being found rarely in brackish water in larger rivers with access to the sea.

Habitat Requirements Historically lake sturgeon were reported from large rivers and lakes eg. Outside bends and rapidly moving water of rivers near dams. In large clean rubble areas of up-welling current.

Such as the Great Lakes Lake Winnipeg Sipiwesk Lake the large inland delta on the Saskatchewan River at Cumberland House Saskatchewan and near the mouths of large rivers Dick and Macbeth 2003. Habitat requirements for spawning lake sturgeon. Lake sturgeon spawn in rivers or rapids at the base of impassable falls Scott and Crossman 1973.

Fisheries Policy Section Biodiversity Branch. They usually forage along the bottom of water bodies or benthic regions. Rock-on-rock substrate bottom of waterbody with interstitial space between rocks depth greater than 15 centimeters.

Habitat Habitat requirements The lake sturgeon exists for the most part as a freshwater species being found rarely in brackish water in larger rivers with access to the sea. Spawning habitat is typically characterized by fast-moving water found at the base of falls rapids or dams. Pages 4 to 8.