Source Population Assignment of Lake Sturgeon in Lake Superior

Lake sturgeon are of management concern throughout the Great Lakes basin. Knowledge regarding lake sturgeon ecology is primarily based on studies conducted during brief spawning periods in river habitats. Little is know about lake sturgeon ecology (e.g., habitat use and movement) during the extended periods they spend in the open waters and bays of the Great Lakes. Traditional mark-recapture methods or radio telemetry studies of tagged fish provide limited data about lake sturgeon movement because relatively few individuals from any breeding population are tagged or marked. Genetic techniques can overcome these obstacles and can identify which spawning populations are represented in non-spawning groups of lake sturgeon. Breeding populations of lake sturgeon in Lake Superior exhibit a high degree of spatial genetic structure, and have the highest level of genetic differentiation relative to the rest of the Great Lakes. These genetic differences allow for the identification of spawning population of origin in non-spawning lake sturgeon within Lake Superior. This project will use genomic DNA to determine the source spawning population of individual lake sturgeon collected throughout Lake Superior, and to identify individuals that may have originated from previously unsampled spawning populations. This is a notice of intent to award a single source cooperative agreement to West Virginia University under justification under justification 505DM 2.14B 4. The Service through the Ashland FWCO will be substantially involved in this project and will collect lake sturgeon tissue samples from several locations for analysis. The Ashland FWCO will serve as the temporary repository for samples collected by partner fishery agencies and will develop a sample inventory spreadsheet and prioritize samples for processing and analysis. Ashland FWCO will serve as the coordinating office to address any issues or questions related to sample analysis, will distribute results of the genetic analysis to partner agencies, and will contribute as a co-author on presentations and publications resulting from this work. Competition is not practical because West Virginia University staff and students have been key components for Lake Superior lake sturgeon population genetic analyses and have worked cooperatively with the agencies of the Lake Superior Lake Sturgeon Work Group for over a decade. West Virginia University has developed and maintains the baseline genetic data for populations of lake sturgeon in the Lake Superior basin, and is currently completing genetic analyses and assignments of juvenile Lake Superior lake sturgeon to their population of origin, thus making this agreement more economical and efficient.