Sturgeon Watching tour - Friday, 7/17

In light of the recent tragedy, the time seems right for some public outreach on behalf of one of Florida's most spectacular species--the Gulf Sturgeon. With so many looming tragedies in Florida's wild places and the seemingly inevitable loss of our springs, the resurgence of the Suwannee sturgeons is a badly needed success story.

Our 5.5 mile paddle will take us through a couple of the most active sturgeon jumping sites on the river (currently--it changes as the year progresses). We will be joined on the water by Dr. Ken Sulak, lead researcher for the USGS sturgeon studies on the Suwannee. Along our route, we will meet up with Ken's research team who will be in the process of netting and tagging sturgeon. As we watch, Ken will give us a brief description of these amazing animals and will tell us about their project (much of our current understanding of this species comes from the work of Ken and this team). After a brief "show and tell" about netting, tagging and documentation, the team will then release the fish back into the river. This will be a rare opportunity and one that Ken and I have been planning for a couple of years as we waited for ideal conditions (which we now have). The 5.5 mile tour will run from 9 AM to about 1- 2 PM. This stretch also passes some great historical sites, so attendees should come prepared for random outbursts of "history and lore" as we paddle--(it's what I do! ;o)

 

 

Here's some text from Dr. Sulak:

 

"In the late 1980s the Gulf sturgeon was on the brink of extinction, down to about 1,000 individuals in the Suwannee River.  State and federal protections reversed that, halting harvest, promoting restoration.  As a result, the Suwannee River population has rebounded to about 10,000 fish.  Sturgeons are ancient but complex animals with a complicated life history.  Spring is for spawning in the upper river, after a winter of intense feeding in the Gulf.  Summer is for hanging out in deep areas, jumping but not feeding.  Come fall, it is time for the annual return migration to the Gulf. 

 

Jumping has two main functions - to take in air to refill the swimbladder to maintain buoyancy control, and to make big loud splashes that are part of social communication.  Sturgeons keep in touch with each other by a language of clicks and splash sounds.  When the river gets low, sturgeons congregate in deep holding areas - and the jumping and clicking increased dramatically. 

 

A single adult female matures at age 12 and produces several hundred thousand eggs once every three years.  High fecundity is part of the recovery success of the species.  Good water quality, and absence of dams (migration roadblocks), and upriver gravel beds for spawning are other important parts of the recovery story. 

 

The final element is a productive low salinity estuary that provides winter food for juvenile sturgeons.  The success of sturgeons is one sign of a healthy river and estuary ecosystem, so much so that the sturgeon has been adopted as the logo of the national Waterkeepers association."

Kenneth J. Sulak, Ph.D., Research Fish Biologist

Lead Scientist - Coastal Ecology & Conservation Research Group

Sturgeon Quest Leader

Southeast Ecological Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey

7920 NW 71st St.,Gainesville, FL 32653,