White Sturgeon Spawning Habitat in an Unregulated River: Fraser River, Canada

Abstract

Abstract Spawning habitat used by white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus in the lower Fraser River, British Columbia, is described based on field sampling in 1998 and 1999. Fraser River flow is unregulated and, within our study area, its channel morphology is largely unaltered by land use activities. The study area consisted of (1) the wandering reach (river km 98–143), which had side channels, wooded islands, and gravel bars; and (2) the confined reach (river km 145–181), which was naturally restricted by mountains, producing a single-thread and simple channel. Six spawning sites were identified in the study area, five in side channels of the wandering reach and one in the main channel of the confined reach. Within the wandering reach, eggs and larvae were collected only from side channels despite sampling efforts in main-channel areas. Multiple lines of evidence, including radio-tracking of prespawning adults and visual observations, substantiated the use of side channels by white sturgeon for spawning....