Fall Spawning of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Roanoke River, North Carolina

Abstract

In 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus to be threatened or endangered throughout its range in U.S. waters. Restoration of the subspecies will require much new information, particularly on the location and timing of spawning. We used a combination of acoustic telemetry and sampling with anchored artificial substrates (spawning pads) to detect fall (September–November) spawning in the Roanoke River in North Carolina. This population is included in the Carolina Distinct Population Segment, which was classified by NOAA as endangered. Sampling was done immediately below the first shoals encountered by anadromous fishes, near Weldon. Our collection of 38 eggs during the 21 d that spawning pads were deployed appears to be the first such collection (spring or fall) for wild-spawned Atlantic Sturgeon eggs. Based on egg development stages, estimated spawning dates were September 17–18 and 18–19 at water temperatures from 25.3°C to 24.3°C and river discharge from 55 to 297 m³/s. These observations about fall spawning and habitat use should aid in protecting critical habitats and planning research on Atlantic Sturgeon spawning in other rivers.

Received April 14, 2014; accepted September 9, 2014

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the staff of state and federal agencies, including the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and NCDMF, who provided assistance in collecting and tagging adult Atlantic Sturgeon. We thank Dewayne Fox at Delaware State University for reviewing previous versions of this manuscript, and technicians Kyle Hussey and Lindsey Campbell for field assistance. This study was performed under the auspices of IACUC permit 13-037-O and federal scientific research permit (NOAA Fisheries) 16375-01. Reference to trade names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.