Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Spawning run estimates and phenology for an extremely small population of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Marshyhope Creek–Nanticoke River system, Chesapeake Bay

July 2, 2024

Objective

Once thought to be extirpated from the Chesapeake Bay, fall spawning runs of Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus have been rediscovered in the Marshyhope Creek (MC)–Nanticoke River (NR) system of Maryland, United States. High recapture rates in past telemetry surveys suggested a small population in the two connected tributaries. This study aims to generate estimates of abundance and understand within system connectivity for spawning runs in 2020 and 2021.

Methods

Data from mobile side-scan sonar surveys and detections of acoustically tagged adults on stationary telemetry receivers were analyzed in an integrated model to estimate spawning season abundance and examine run timing and system connectivity for this population. An array of acoustic receivers was deployed throughout the MC–NR system to monitor the movement of tagged fish during the spawning run period from mid-August to late October. Side-scan sonar surveys were conducted weekly in September in an area of high spawner aggregation to generate count data on spawning run abundance.

Result

In 2020 and 2021, 32 (95% credible interval [CRI] = 23–47) and 70 (95% CRI = 49–105) Atlantic Sturgeon, respectively, used the MC–NR system. The lower estimate for 2020 coincided with an earlier end to the spawning run related to cooler September temperatures in that year.

Conclusion

In both years, high spawning run connectivity between MC and the upper NR was observed. Overall, run estimates supported previous hypotheses that the MC–NR system supports a very small population and that both MC and the upper NR serve as important areas for spawning activity.

Publication Year 2024
Title Spawning run estimates and phenology for an extremely small population of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Marshyhope Creek–Nanticoke River system, Chesapeake Bay
DOI 10.1002/mcf2.10292
Authors Nicholas Coleman, Dewayne Fox, Ashlee Horne, Nathan J. Hostetter, John Madsen, Michael O’Brien, Ian Park, Chuck Stence, David Secor
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science
Index ID 70256509
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Was this page helpful?