Culture and Management

of Sturgeon and Paddlefish

Symposium Proceedings

Serge Doroshov

Fred Binkowski

Tom Thuemler

Don MacKinlay

International Congress on the Biology of FishesSan Francisco State University July 14-18, 1996.

Culture and Management of

Sturgeon and Paddlefish

Symposium Proceedings

Serge DoroshovFred BinkowskiTom ThuemlerDon MacKinlay

Physiology Section American FisheriesSociety

International Congress on the Biology of Fishes

San Francisco State University July 14-18, 1996.

Copyright © 1996Physiology Section,

American Fisheries SocietyAll rights reserved

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) 0-9698631-0-9

Notice

This publication is made up of camera-ready, extended abstracts

submitted by the authors without peer review or line editing, and

therefore the papers in the volume should not be cited as primary

literature. Since m uch of this work has been or will be published in the

primary literature, please contact the authors if you are interested in a

proper citation for their work.

The quality of the papers printed here, both scientifically and

typographically, are the sole responsibility of the authors. The Physiology

Section of the American Fisheries Society offers this compilation of

papers in the interests of information exchange only, and makes no claim

as to the validity of the conclusions or recommendations presented in the

papers.

PREFACE

These proceedings contain extended abstracts of most of the papers presented during the Sturgeonand Paddlefish Symposium held at the International Congress on the Biology of Fishes. TheInternational Congress was sponsored by the Physiology, Fish Culture and Fisheries ManagementSections of the American Fisheries Society and was held at San Francisco State University, SanFrancisco, California. The majority of submitted papers deal with the North American species, butseveral interesting papers on the Eurasian sturgeons are also included.

Sturgeon and paddlefish (Acipenseriformes) occupy a special place in fish biology, aquaculture, andcomparative zoology. Their phylogeny, lifecycles, and history of exploitation by man are unique. Inthe past, they played a significant role in commercial fisheries. Despite dramatic declines inabundance, they continue to attract commercial and sport fishermen due to the high value of theirmeat and roe and their qualities as a game fish. In spite of the delayed sexual maturity of thesespecies, aquaculturists have succesfully domesticated paddlefish and several sturgeon species. In theU.S., sturgeon aquaculture is becoming a major producer of meat and roe for human consumption.

The potential phylogenetic origin of Acipenseriformes from the common ancestor of both theray-finned fishes and the tetrapods makes living species of sturgeon and paddlefish highly attractivefor comparative research in vertebrate evolution. Previously, scientists encountered great difficultyin obtaining these species for studies. However, sturgeon and paddlefish are becoming increasinglyavailable and attract researchers worldwide. During the past 20 years, significant new knowledgehas been gained concerning sturgeon population biology, ecology, physiology, pathology, nutrition,and genetics.

Several factors contributed to the recent progress in sturgeon research, particularly in westerncountries: a rapid development of aquaculture and hatchery technology for many sturgeon species;growing public awareness of the unique value of these "living fossils" and the need for theirprotection; an emergence of new research tools (e.g. telemetry, computer modelling, molecularbiology) which are effectively used in field and laboratory studies. Finally, the recent geopoliticalchanges and modern communicat ion technology have opened opportunities for information exchangewith the scientists from many eastern countries.

International interest to sturgeon and paddlefish appears to have grown exponentially. In 1983, aSymposium on the North American Sturgeons was held in conjunction with the annual meeting ofthe American Fisheries Society at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since that meeting three additionalsymposia and conferences were held in France (Bordeaux, 1989), Russia (Moscow, 1993) and in theU.S. (New York, 1994) which all focused on sturgeon biology, aquaculture, and conservation. Thenext Symposium is expected to be in Italy (Piacenza, July 1997), which is one of the leading countriesin development of sturgeon aquaculture and conservation biology.

In spite of recent advances in the culture and management of Acipenceriformes, the current state ofthe world sturgeon and paddlefish resources is not a rosy picture. Several species may be lost beyondrecovery to unregulated fishery, river damming, and man-induced ecological catastrophes (such asone in the Aral Sea). It is our duty, as fish biologists and aquaculturists, to continue our efforts in

conservation, protection, and propagation of sturgeon and paddlefish resources worldwide.

Serge I. Doroshov Thomas ThuemlerDepartment of Animal Science Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesUniversity of California Davis

Frederick P. Binkowsky Don D. MacKinlayAquaculture Institute, Univ of WI Salmonid Enhancement ProgramGreat Lakes Research Facility Fisheries and Oceans Canada

CONGRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Symposium is part of the International Congress on the Biology of Fishes, whose main sponsorswere Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the US National Biological Service (NBS) and SanFrancisco State University (SFSU). The main organizers of the Congress, on behalf of the PhysiologySection of the American Fisheries Society, were Alec Maule of NBS (overall chair and registrations),Don MacKinlay of DFO (program and proceedings) and Ralph Larson of SFSU (local arrangements).I would like to extend a sincere ‘thank you’ to the many contributors who took the time to preparea written submission for these proceedings. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

Don MacKinlay

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Management and Conservation

Columbia River white sturgeon investigations downstream of Hugh L. Keenleyside Dam, B.C. McKenzie, JS, L Hildebrand, GR Ash and GJ Birch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Dynamics and potential production of white sturgeon in the unimpounded lower Columbia River. DeVore, JD, BW James, CA Tracy and DA Hale . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Implications of ecosystem collapse on white sturgeon in the Kootenai River, ID, MO and BC. Anders, PJ and DL Richards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Kootenai River white sturgeon spawning characteristics and habitat select ion post Libby Dam. Paragamian, VL and G Kruse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Conservation aquaculture of endangered white sturgeon from the Kootenai River, ID. Anders, PJ, and RE Westerhof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

National database for sturgeon and paddlefish broodstock information: a new tool for fisheries management. Kincaid, HL and LJ Mengel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Movement and habitat use of paddlefish in the upper Mississippi River and selected tributaries. Zigler, S, M Dewey, B Knights, M Steingraeber and A Runstrom . . . . . . . . 71

Habitat suitability index model for lake sturgeon. Threader, RW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Genetics

Population genetics of Atlantic sturgeon based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA. Waldman, J, J Stabile and I Wirgin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Inheritance of microsatellite loci in lake sturgeon. Pyatskowit, JD, CC Krueger, HL Kincaid and B May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Induction of meiotic gynogenesis and polyploidy in white sturgeon. Van Eenennaam, AL, JP Van Eenennaam, JF Medrano and SI Doroshov . . . . . . . . . . 89

Molecular phylogeny of North American acipenseriformes derived from rRNA gene sequences. Krieger, J, GC Booton, T Cavender and P Fuerst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Aquaculture and Disease

Probing the endocrine control of sturgeon reproduction. Moberg, GP ad SI Doroshov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

White sturgeon culture at Sierra Aquafarms, Inc. Michaels, J, and A Bunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Spawning and reproductive performance of domestic white sturgeon. Van Eenennaam, JP, SI Doroshov and GP Moberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Comparative analysis of chemosensory systems in feeding behavior of sturgeons. Kasumyan, A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

The effect of density on the manifestaton of white sturgeon iridovirus disease. LaPatra, SE and JM Groff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Antigenic and ultrastructural characteristics of epitheliocystis infection in cultured white sturgeon. Groff, JM, SE LaPatra, ML Anderson, RJ Munn and BI Osborn . . . . 133

Physiology and Pollution

The effects of hypercapnia on blood-gas, acid-base status in the white sturgeon. Crocker, CE and JJ Cech, Jr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Developments of the CNS of sturgeon fishes grown under different ecological conditions. Obukhov, DK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Physiological stress responses to handling in paddlefish with freshwater and saline-water recovery. Rahn, AB, BA Barton and H Bollig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Effects of chlorinated phenolics and anti-sapstain agents on the lethality and swimmingperformance of the early stages of white sturgeon. Bennett, WR and AP Farrell . . . . . 163

The oogenesis inhibition, steroidogenesis and morphometric studies of thehypothalamo-hypophysal system in the Russian sturgeon exposed to low environmental pH. Zelennikov, OV and KE Fedorov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Sex steroid levels in Columbia River white sturgeon. Fitzpatrick, MS, GW Feist, RL Chitwood, EP Foster and CB Schreck . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Management and Conservation

Genetics

Aquaculture and Disease

Physiology and Pollution