Review of BPA Funded Sturgeon, Resident Fish and Wildlife Projects, 1989/1990. Page: 4 of 29
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REPRODUCTION, EARLY LIFE HISTORY, AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS OF WHITE STURGEON
DOWNSTREAM FROM BONNEVILLE DAM. George T. McCabe, Jr. - National Marine
Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA. (BPA Project Officer: Fred Holm)
The National Marine Fisheries Service, in conjunction with the Washington
Department of Fisheries, is studying the reproduction, early life history, and
habitat requirements of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus downstream from
Bonneville Dam, the lowermost dam on the Columbia River. The section of the
Columbia River downstream from Bonneville Dam is being considered a "control"
area, allowing comparisons between data collected downstream from Bonneville
Dam and data collected in the impoundments between Bonneville and McNary
dams. Downstream from Bonneville Dam, white sturgeon typically spawn from
late April through late June or early July at water temperatures ranging from
10 to 18" C. Spawning occurs from the dam to points to least several miles
downstream from the dam; spawning occurs in high water velocity areas with a
cobble or rock bottom. Stage 2 (freshly fertilized) white sturgeon eggs were
collected in areas with mean water column velocities that ranged from 1.2 to
2.8 m/s and depths that ranged from 4.3 to 21.3 m. In 1987 and 1988, white
sturgeon larvae were collected more than 30 miles downstream from Bonneville
Dam. In 1989, which was a higher flow year than 1987 and 1988, a larva was
collected more than 35 miles downstream from Bonneville Dam. Small
young-of-:he-year (Y-O-Y) white sturgeon were collected in the upper Columbia
River estuary (River Mile 31) in 1989; presumably these Y-O-Y had been
transported as larvae to the upper estuary, a freshwater environment, before
metamorphosing.
Catches of white sturgeon juveniles in the Columbia River downstream from
Bonneville Dam were patchy. Catch data indicated that juvenile white sturgeon
tended to be more abundant in water 9.1 mand greater in depth, at least
during daylight. Because of the protracted and spawning period and different
environmental conditions, there can be large variations in lengths of white
sturgeon from a specific year class. These large variations precluded
separation of white sturgeon, except for the very young, into year classes
using length-frequency histograms. The Y-O-Y catches were relatively low from
1987 to 1989, ranging from 11 in 1988 (less than 1 percent of total catch) to
111 in 1989 (4 percent of total catch). Data from 1989 indicated Y-O-Y growth
was relatively good, with the mean fork length increasing from 85 mm in July
to 234 in October.
Since the white sturgeon is a demersal species, benthic surveys were conducted
in conjunction with juvenile sampling to determine the relationship between
white sturgeon densities and the benthos. The relationship between benthic
invertebrate densities and white sturgeon densities was poor. The feeding
habits of juvenile white sturgeon from two locations in the Columbia River
downstream from Bonneville Dam were examined in 1988. Results from the
stomach analyses indicated that juvenile white sturgeon fed on benthic
organisms, but not necessarily in proportion to the importance of these
invertebrates in the benthos. Corophium salmonis, a tube-dwelling amphipod,
was overall the most important food item. Other important prey included the
clam Corbicula manilensis and eulachon Thaleichthys pacificus eggs in May.
Results from the stomach analyses suggested that food may be limited for
juveniles, at least in certain areas of the river, in September-October.4
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United States. Bonneville Power Administration. Review of BPA Funded Sturgeon, Resident Fish and Wildlife Projects, 1989/1990., report, December 1, 1990; Portland, Oregon. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc896296/m1/4/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.