Morphometric Comparisons of the Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Mitchill, 1815) In Western and Eastern Population Extremes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2014

Department

Coastal Sciences, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

School

Ocean Science and Engineering

Abstract

The Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Mitchill 1815, is an anadromous fish native to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). This threatened species ascend northern GOM rivers ranging from the Pearl River, Louisiana to the Suwannee River, Florida. The drainage fidelity seen within this species coupled with the complex migration patterns create many unknowns concerning the functionality between drainages and size classes. Being a threatened species that cannot be sacrificed, morphometric measurements are difficult to acquire due to minimized handling times and non-lethal data collection methods. Seven morphometric measurements of Gulf sturgeon were compared between western and eastern GOM rivers and multiple size classes (juvenile, sub-adult, and adult). Principal Component, Discriminant Function, and Maximum Chance Criterion analyses were conducted and identified differentiating morphometrics and classified groupings among size classes and rivers of Gulf sturgeon. This morphometric approach has the potential to be used in parallel with molecular findings and should allow managers to identify sub-populations for a variety of threatened and endangered species.

Publication Title

Journal of Applied Ichthyology

Volume

30

Issue

6

First Page

1168

Last Page

1173

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