Science Advisory Report 2010/048

Recovery potential assessment of Lake Sturgeon: western Hudson Bay populations (Designatable Unit 1)

Summary

• Three Management Units (MUs) have been identified for DU1 along the Churchill River: MU1 is located between Kettle Falls and Island Falls Generating Station (GS), MU2 between Island Falls GS and the Missi Falls Control Structure (CS) and MU3 between Missi Falls CS and Hudson Bay.
• The current status, population trajectory and potential for recovery of MU1 are unknown.
• Limited data indicate there are very low numbers of Lake Sturgeon present in MU2; current status is likely critical, trajectory is unknown and potential for recovery is moderate.
• There are estimated to be at least 1,300 adult Lake Sturgeon in MU3; current status is cautious, trajectory is unknown and potential for recovery is low due to habitat limitations.
• Survival and recovery of Lake Sturgeon in DU1 depend on maintaining the functional attributes of habitat, including the ecologically-based flow regimes needed for spawning, egg incubation, juvenile rearing, summer feeding and overwintering, as well as migration routes between these habitats.
• The long-term recovery goal for DU1 is to protect and maintain healthy, viable populations of Lake Sturgeon in all three MUs within the Churchill River system.
• The most important current threats to survival and recovery of Lake Sturgeon in DU1 are habitat degradation or loss resulting from dams/impoundments and other barriers, and mortality, injury or reduced survival resulting from domestic/subsistence fisheries.
• Mitigation measures that would aid recovery include prevention of mortality, protection of habitat and public education.
• Activities that damage or destroy functional components of habitat or negatively affect key life components of the life cycle pose a very high risk to the survival and recovery of Lake Sturgeon in MU2, high to very high risk in MU1 and a high risk in MU3.

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