Movement and habitat use of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the South Saskatchewan River system

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dc.contributor.authorLacho, Christine D.
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorRasmussen, Joseph B.
dc.date.accessioned2014-10-28T20:14:36Z
dc.date.available2014-10-28T20:14:36Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.degree.levelMastersen_US
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.description.abstractLake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) have experienced declines in numbers throughout their range due to historical overharvesting and more recent habitat degradation. Fragmentation and disruption caused by large dams on the rivers they inhabit have greatly impacted this species. Lake Sturgeon in Alberta are part of an Endangered population as defined by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The goal of this study was to gather more information on the movement of Lake Sturgeon in the South Saskatchewan River in Alberta and Saskatchewan, to aid conservation. A sample of 123 Lake Sturgeon was tracked in this area for 24.5 months using hydroacoustic telemetry, and a habitat survey gathered depth and substrate data for the study area. Lake Sturgeon had large ranges of movement, and individuals moved the second-highest range on record for this species. Movement varied by season, and adult Lake Sturgeon moved at higher rates and used greater reaches of the river than juveniles. Two possible spawning sites and three overwintering sites were identified, areas which should be left undisturbed by development. The large extent of movement observed in the study area emphasizes the need to leave the South Saskatchewan River system relatively unrestricted by dams and weirs, as blocking movement may have negative impacts on this population of Lake Sturgeon.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/3570
dc.language.isoen_CAen_US
dc.proquest.subject0792en_US
dc.proquest.subject0408en_US
dc.proquestyesYesen_US
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Biological Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en_US
dc.subjectlake sturgeonen_US
dc.subjectSouth Saskatchewan River systemen_US
dc.subjectmovementen_US
dc.subjecthabitat degredationen_US
dc.subjectdamsen_US
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Habitat -- Alberta
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Habitat -- Saskatchewan
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Alberta -- Management
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Saskatchewan -- Management
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Effect of dams on -- Alberta
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Effect of dams on -- Saskatchewan
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Effect of habitat modification on -- Alberta
dc.subjectLake sturgeon -- Effect of habitat modification on -- Saskatchewan
dc.subjectSouth Saskatchewan River (Alta. and Sask.)
dc.subjectEndangered species -- Alberta
dc.subjectEndangered species -- Saskatchewan
dc.subjectFishery management -- Alberta -- South Saskatchewan River
dc.subjectFishery management -- Saskatchewan -- South Saskatchewan River
dc.subjectDissertations, Academic
dc.titleMovement and habitat use of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the South Saskatchewan River systemen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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