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FY1999 Great Lakes Projects

Contributing Factors in Habitat Selection by Lake Sturgeon

Contributing Factors in Habitat Selection by Lake Sturgeon (GL975172-01-0: $16,367)

Recipient: Research Foundation of State University of New York

Project Period: 11/1/99 to 10/31/00

Project Officer: Sandra Hellman (312-353-5006)

The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) was once widely distributed among the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River drainages, but now is conferred protected status in each of the 20 states in which it is a native species. The success of lake sturgeon conservation and restoration programs requires the identification and protection of preferred habitat types for all life history stages. Equally important is the identification of factors that make these habitats suitable for lake sturgeon. This study will examine the apparent habitat partitioning between juvenile and adult lake sturgeon in the St. Lawrence River. Specific objectives are to determine the preferred prey types of juvenile and adult lake sturgeon, and to examine the relationship between feeding characteristics of juvenile and adult lake sturgeon and the benthic invertebrate community within their preferred habitats.