Dispersal, persistence, and areas of core use of re-introduced juvenile lake sturgeon in the Upper Tennessee River System

Author

Misty Dawn Huddleston, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Date of Award

5-2006

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Major Professor

J. Larry Wilson

Committee Members

Paul D. Ayers, Edwin M. Scott

Abstract

The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) historically occurred throughout the Tennessee River system but was extirpated by the 1960’s due to over-consumption, and habitat destruction and alteration from pollution, and dam construction. In response to improvements in water quality and other improvements made by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a multi-agency partnership was formed to reintroduce lake sturgeon in the Upper Tennessee River system. The initial re-introduction occurred in 2000, and to date over 45,000 fish from multiple age classes have been released.

Little is known about the behavior of the hatchery-reared juvenile lake sturgeon in this system. A biotelemetry study of hatchery-reared juvenile lake sturgeon released into the French Broad River was conducted to determine if patterns exist in their dispersal, persistence, and use of the upper Tennessee River system. Radio transmitters were surgically implanted into 20 juvenile lake sturgeon that were released into the French Broad River in the fall of 2004.

Persistence within the system was 50% for the 90-day battery life of the transmitters. The mean dispersal from the release site was 10.6 river miles (sd=7.9). The mean linear range was 7.3 river miles and ranged from 1.0-20.3 total river miles. Directional movement was correlated with changes in flow; distances traveled, dispersal distances, and depth selection exhibited slight linear relationships to daily temperatures and mean daily discharges from an upstream hydroelectric dam. Juvenile lake sturgeon exhibited aggregation and used core areas in the French Broad River, a tributary to the Tennessee River. Areas of aggregation and core use were located within the bend of the river, with sand substrate, and corresponding mean depth of approximately 6 meters.

Recommended Citation

Huddleston, Misty Dawn, "Dispersal, persistence, and areas of core use of re-introduced juvenile lake sturgeon in the Upper Tennessee River System. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2006.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1586