Preface

Abstract

The 3rd Annual North American Sturgeon conference was held in Bozeman, Montana on August 31–September 2, 2010 at the Chico Hot Springs Resort. The meeting was hosted by the North American Chapter (NAC) of the World Sturgeon Conservation Society (WSCS) and represents the first time the meeting was held independent of other meetings. The inaugural meeting was hosted as a symposium at the American Fisheries Society (AFS) Meeting in Ottawa, Canada in 2008, followed by the a symposium held in conjunction with the AFS meeting in Nashville in 2009. This year’s conference started with two at capacity workshops on Sturgeon Conservation Genetics and Sturgeon Age Estimation and Tagging Technique held at the Bozeman Fish Technology Center. This provided an excellent opportunity for participants to get ‘hands on’ experience and have in depth discussions on pertinent topics with leaders on the field. The remainder of the conference was set at Chico Hot Springs Resort in Pray, Montana and was attended by 140 people. There were 40 oral presentations provided on the nine North American sturgeon species ranging from results of telemetry studies, genetic analysis to population dynamic studies. Presentations were from seasoned professionals to graduate students, who had an invaluable experience presenting their studies at an international conference. The accompanying proceeding represents a selection of the presentations provided at this conference. The North American Chapter of the World Conservation Society was formed in 2008 by the foundation committee Ron Bruch, Tim Haxton, Peter Allen, Dave Lane, John Morgan, Larry Hildebrand, Serge Doroshov, Harald Rosenthal, Steve Peak, Ken Sulak. Rob Colombo, Ed Black, Boyd Kynard, and Kurt Beens and share the sample objectives as the World Sturgeon Conservation Society: Promote the conservation, restoration, development, and wise use of sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries. Promote and evaluate the development and advancement of sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries science and management, and foster and support interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research on all aspects of sturgeon and paddlefish (e.g. biology, management and utilization of sturgeons). Gather and disseminate to Society members, regional, national, international, inter-governmental organizations, educational institutions (e.g. universities, scientific institutes), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the general public scientific, technical, and other information about sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries science and practice through publications, meetings, and other forms of communication. Encourage the teaching of sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries science and practice in colleges and universities and the continuing education and development of fisheries professionals. This conference represents the WSCS-NAC’s commitment as steps towards achieving these objectives. Plans are in the works for annual meetings scheduled up to 2013 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada as part of the 7th International Symposium on Sturgeons (ISS7), an event which will be held only every 4 years. The Journal of Applied Ichthyology, as the official journal of the World Sturgeon Conservation Society, is proud to publish this special issue of Proceedings from the WSCS-NAC’s 3rd Annual Meeting, which contains the papers selected through a rigorous peer review process.