Occurrence, Distribution, and Movement of Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Stuart A. Welsh, Jorgen E. Skjeveland, Michael F. Mangold
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Fisheries Resource Office, 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive, Annapolis, MD, 21401, phone 410-263-2604, fax 410-263-2608, stuart_welsh@fws.gov

During a reward program for Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus), 32 endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) were captured between January 1996 and September 1999 by commercial fishers from Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This is over twice the number of shortnose sturgeon reported from the Chesapeake Bay between 1876 and 1995; consequently, little information has been available on distributions and movement. We used fishery dependent data collected during the reward program to determine the distribution of shortnose sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, sonically-tagged shortnose sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River were tracked to examine patterns of movement and to determine if individuals swim through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Shortnose sturgeon were primarily distributed within the upper Chesapeake Bay, and individuals displayed wandering, localized, and upstream movements. The movements of one individual, tagged within the Chesapeake Bay and later relocated in the canal and Delaware River, indicated that individuals traverse the C&D canal. Consequently, shortnose sturgeon within the Chesapeake Bay may be transients from the Delaware River population.