Semi

- A nnual Progress Report

Section 6 Species Recovery Grants program
Award Number: NAI0NMF4720030

Award Period : 06/01/2010

- 05/31/2013 Report period : 06 /01/201 1

– 11 /3 0 /2011

Grant Title : “ Sturgeons in the M id

- Atlantic R egion: A M ulti

- S tate C ollaboration of

R esearch and Conservation”

Grantee : Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Division of Fish and Wildlife (DNREC

- DFW)

Project Manager : Edna J. Stetzar, DNREC

- DFW

Natural Heritage and End angered Species Program 4876 Hay Point Landing Rd, Smyrna, DE 19977 P hone Number: (302) 73 5

- 8654 Edna.Stetzar@state.de.us
Reported by:
Tom Savoy, Connecticut Department of En ergy and Environmental Protection Jeanette Bowers

- Altman, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Heather Corbett, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Matthew Oliver, University of Delaware John Madsen, University of Delaware Dewayne Fox, De laware State University Matthew Fisher, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Compiled by:
Edna J. Stetzar, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Report submitted to https://grantsonline.rdc.noaa.gov by Carla Cassell

- Carter on January 3, 2012

“This project was funded, in full or part, by a grant obtained through the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the S pecies Recovery Grant s Program ”

.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 2 of 24 Summary

P rogress has been m ade during the reporting period, but in some cases it is behind
schedule due to initial funding delays which further compounded the ability to obtain timely state approvals. These delays have altered the anticipated sampling schedule especially objective 2:
i dentification and characterization of early life history habitat in the non

- tidal Delaware River and objective 3: distribution and habitat use of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in New Jersey waters

. In addition, federal funds for year two were reduced by 3 2% and anticipated progress on objectives had to be re

- evaluated. Several conference calls and meetings between project partners and with our NOAA program officer were held to aid in determining how best to allocate the funds so that the most pertinent obj ectives could still be met. The project partners
were able to reach a consensus fairly easy because of the ir collaborative spirit as well as a vested
interest in the resource. Some reduction in sampling effort and supplies, and hi ring of a graduate
studen t in lieu of a post

- doc for remote spatial data analysis
, were the main changes to anticipated objectives. Despite the challenges, for the most part year 2 objectives are on track.

Project Goals and Objectives

1

- Identification of shortnose sturgeon spawning sites and characterization of early life history habitats in the non

- tidal Delaware River The State of New Jersey will identify shortnose sturgeon spawning areas in the nontidal Delaware River, explore the upstream extent of spawning activities, a nd document early life history requirements. This work did not proceed as scheduled due to a delay in obtaining approvals for a Waiver of Advertising to contract ERC, Inc. to conduct the necessary field work. The Waiver of Advertising was approved in lat e October 2011 and a Purchase Order issued in early November 2011. Gillnetting to obtain adult shortnose sturgeon for acoustic tagging was conducted by ERC, Inc. in the upper tidal Delaware River on November 8, 14 and 15, 2011. A total of 138
shortnose s turgeon were captured. Acoustic tags were surgically implanted in 30 individuals. These fish will be tracked using active and passive methods, with emphasis on documenting their
locations in the non

- tidal river during the spawning season. In addition to the purchase ofDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 3 of 24 acoustic tags, ERC Inc. purchased three new VR2W receivers for placement in the non

- tidal river. ERC, Inc. is now working on methods for deploying the receivers, which includes coordination with the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission on possible attachment of the receivers to their bridges.

2

- Distribution an d habitat use of early stage juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in Delaware
waters Gillnetting commenced on August 30th, 2011 and continued until Nov. 1 st , 2011 with 17 days of sampling effort. Gillnetting effort occurred at 6 sites; Hamburg cove, New Castle,
Che rry Island Flats, Marcus Hook anchorage, Tinicum Island, and Mifflin anchorage. These sites were identified as potential early stage juvenile habitat based on manual tracking results in
2009

- 2010, Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) trawl survey capture locations
, and a single report from a commercial fisherman of a young of the year captured in a crab trap. Sites downstream of past locations were considered this year because of extreme flooding pushing freshwater (and thus early stage juvenile habitat) well downstream of normal. Preliminary analyses suggest that Delaware R iver net annual flows at Trenton for 2011 will likely exceed all previous years on record ( pers. comm. Erik Silldorf, DRBC). The Marcus Hook anchorage was the only site that produced early stage juvenile Atlantic sturgeon during the sampling survey. After the first young of the year was captured on September 30 th , and low numbers (n=1) of age

1 (2010 year class) were captured over 2 seasons
, the remaining gillnetting effort (n=7 days) occurred at the Marcus Hook anchorage to focus on the most productive site for early stage juveniles. A total of 48 young of the year Atlantic sturgeon were captured with 3 of those individuals being recapture d. Three additional juvenile Atlantic sturgeon and one juvenile shortnose sturgeon were also captured during the season. Of the 52 individual sturgeon captured, 26 were selected for implantation of transmitters (Table 1). The juvenile shortnose sturgeon was implanted with a transmitter to aid in efforts to accomplish objective 3 and will be included in the analysis for that objective. Various transmitter programming options were utilized to accomplish dual objectives of identifying habitat and seasonal movements with the battery life limitations of transmitters small enough to be implanted in early stage juveniles. Ten transmitters were programmed with short delays to enable efficient manual tracking for identifying habitat. Fifteen transmitters wereDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 4 of 24 programmed with a longer delay to stretch battery life for identifying seasonal movements over 1.2 years. Of those fifteen, 5 were larger V9 transmitters with a long delay that will last for 2.5 years. Another transmitter (a large V16 implanted in a stri ped bass) was donated from another project when a recreational angler discovered the transmitter inside his filleted catch. The manufacturer (VEMCO) put the angler in touch with DFW and the transmitter was sent back to
DFW w ith 6 years of battery life rem aining . It was repurposed for this project. Three young of the year sturgeon were recaptured and will be reported to the USFWS recapture database (Table 2). A recaptured individual’s PIT tag wound appeared as a small bump that had healed (Figure 1) after 14 days at large. Another recaptured individual’s surgical wound appeared red, oozing and sore after 14 days at large. This is a concern but expected so soon after surgery. The stitches were still intact so it is hoped this fish will make a complete

rec overy and after 2 months at large this fish remains (as most are) near its release site. The fish’s progress will be updated in the next report.

Manual Tracking Tracking is ongoing from November 2011 until February 2012. Analysis will be in the

next progress report. Initial results indicate a strong preference for the release site at Marcus Hook anchorage (rkm 130) with some emigration to the Mifflin anchorage area (rkm 145).

Passive Tracking In a show of cooperative effort DSU maintained receivers will not be removed this winter in the upper tidal Delaware River to allow for better fine scale seasonal movement analysis of overwintering early stage juveniles. Ice flow will be monitored careful ly over the winter and receivers will be retrieved if they are in danger and redeployed when the ice flows subside. Seasonal movement analysis will be included in the next progress report.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 5 of 24 Table 1. Juvenile Atlantic sturgeon captured and implant ed with transmitters by the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife in 2011.

release date species capture location total length fork length PIT tissue Tag life (days) Transmitter ID

9/15/2011 SNS Marcus Hook Anchorage 525 448 985121014382529 yes 940 58626
9/16/2011 ATS Cherry Island flats 771 656 985121014382437 yes 2879 48147
9/19/2011 ATS Cherry Island flats 789 677 985121014382422 yes 145 1768
9/30/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 595 524 985121014382411 yes 940 58625
9/30/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 254 218 none yes 145 1766
10/3/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 283 248 985121018567609 yes 145 1765
10/3/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 257 223 985121018569035 yes 145 1771
10/3/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 257 217 985121018605114 yes 145 1772 10/3/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 255 219 985121018577438 yes 145 1773 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 294 254 985121018561149 yes 145 1767 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 307 264 985121018564951 yes 145 1769 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 280 238 985121018562274 yes 145 1770 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 321 274 985121018567314 yes 145 1774 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 291 247 985121018563653 yes 420 2055 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 303 265 985121018560778 yes 420 2056 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 295 254 985121018560700 yes 420 2057 10/17/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 296 252 985121018562920 yes 420 2058 10/18/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 277 240 985121018552819 yes 420 2049 10/18/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 278 245 985121018560144 yes 420 2050 10/18/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 303 262 985121018556002 yes 420 2051 10/18/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 297 256 985121018553544 yes 420 2052 10/18/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 277 238 985121018550722 yes 420 2053 10/18/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 283 248 985121018554977 yes 420 2054 10/28/2011 ATS Marcus Hook Anchorage 359 305 985121018550132 yes 940 58627 11/1/2011 ATS Marcus hook Anchorage 360 307 985121019120081 yes 940 58628 11/1/2011 ATS Marcus hook Anchorage 363 311 985121019077955 yes 940 58629December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 6 of 24 Table 2. Atlantic sturgeon recaptured by the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife in 2011 during gill

- net sampling efforts.

T

- bar # Initial

Capture Date Total

Length at initial Capture (mm) Weight

at initial Capture (grams) Days

at large Recap Growth (Total length in mm) Recap

Weight gain (grams) C omments

44193 10/3/2011 249 64 14 24 23 No transmitter. PIT wound was completely healed (Figure 1 below)
44190 10/3/2011 246 61 29 54 63 No transmitter. Received PIT upon recapture. Fish weight doubled.

45655 10/18/2011 283 93 14 10 12 Received transmitter. Surgery w ound appeared red , oozing and sore (no pic available) but stitches holding.

Figure 1. Pictur e of a PIT tag and T

- bar insertion wound from a recaptured Atlantic sturgeon young

- of

- year after 14 days at large. The PIT w ound appeared as a healed over bump

.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 7 of 24 Expenditures
Salary/fringe: $32,999.82
Travel: $78.29 Supplies: $15,722.41
Contractual: $2,056.56
TOTAL: $50,857.08

Acknowledgements

The help in the field from Cathy, Zina, Sam, Lauren, Erin , Hal, Dewayne, Matt B., Kate, Edna and the volunteers too many to mention wa s most appreciated.

3

- Distribution and habitat use of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in New Jersey waters The State of New Jersey will expand the existing telemetry receiver network by purchasing and deploying new VEMCO VR2 receivers in NJ w aters of the Delaware Bay. Data from the receivers will be downloaded monthly from March through November. Funding was not appropriated through the New Jersey budgetary system in time to perform the project requirements during previous segments. During this segment, funding was made available to start the purchasing process. Eighteen VEMCO receivers and a laptop computer were purchased for $24,110.69 and $1,651.97 respectively. Justifications were approved for an additional $2,000 to purchase equipment necessary to deploy and maintain the new receivers. We plan to purchase this equipment in January 2012, in anticipation of deploying the receivers in the spring of 2012. In addition, we will 1) upgrade, expand and maintain the current telemetry receive r network and 2) collect, acoustically tag
, and track early juvenile Atlantic and juvenile shortnose sturgeon to supplement the juvenile tracking performed in DE. This work did not proceed as scheduled due to a delay in obtaining approvals for a Waiver of Advertising to contract ERC, Inc. to conduct the necessary field work. The Waiver of Advertising was approved in late October 2011 and a Purchase Order issued in early November 2011.

Expenditures Supplies $25,762.66December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 8 of 24 4

- Hydroacoustic assessment of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon habitat requirements in the Delaware River Estuary
During the reporting period, an Edgetech 4125

- P (600

- 1600 kHz) side

- scan sonar system which was purchased (May 6, 2011) near the close of the last reporting period was delivered (late July) to the University of Delaware. This high

- resolution side

- scan system, designed for
“search

- and

- rescue”, i s ideally adapted for the remote sensing of habitat utilization for both Atlantic and shortnose sturgeons. The system is capable of imaging sturgeon within the water column, as well as, bottom sediment distribution and bedforms. Due to the delay in recei ving funding, followed by the delay in purchasing and delivery, the system was not able to be deployed during the summer field season. It is currently being field tested within the Delaware Bay and the Indian River Inlet and will be in use during the spri ng field season for sturgeon data collection which should coincide with the hiring of a post

- doctoral associate at Delaware State University (DSU). Project investigators Dewayne Fox (DSU) and John Madsen (UD) have had discussions with Bartholomew Wilson ( State of Delaware Coastal Programs, person in charge of the Delaware Bay Benthic Mapping Project) on the integration of benthic habitat mapping data that has been collected in the areas of interest with the hydroacoustic and side

- scan sonar data.
The data will be compiled and analyzed within a GIS

- framework and exported for further visualization using Google Earth.
Expenditures:

Salary/fringe: $7,863.24 Equipment: $0.00
Travel: $0.00 Supplies: $0.00

_____ T OTAL : $7,863.24

5

- Spawning habitats and interbasin exchange rates of Atlantic sturgeon in the New York Bight DPS Telemetry Array The passive listening array deployed in the previous reporting period in the Delaware River (10), Delaware Bay (19), and off the coast of MD, DE and NJ (29) was mainta ined with anDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 9 of 24 additional 14 receivers deployed on independent moorings in the Delaware Bay (Figure 2 ). Also
maintained were 13 receivers in the Hudson River and the New York Harbor to monitor for the presence of telemetered Atlantic sturgeon (Figure 3 ). T he entire passive listening array in the Delaware Bay and off the coast of DE, MD, and NJ was removed on August 25 th and redeployed on August 30 th to prevent damage and loss from Hurricane Irene. On November 26 th we began removing receivers in the Delawar e Bay portion of the array in anticipation of winter and icing
events. Receivers were removed from the Hudson River and NY Harbor on November 5

- 6 th prior to the USCG replacement of ATONs which winter moorings. An examination of these
receivers indicated all telemetered Atlantic sturgeon had departed the Hudson River by early
October.

Atlantic Sturgeon Relocations The passive listening array has once again proven very effective. Of the 75 transmitters implanted in the spring of 2011
, 74 (98.6%) were relocated within the array. Additionally relocation events were high for transmitters implanted in previous years; 48 of 64 (75%) from 2009, and 36 of 40 (90%) from 2010 (Table 3 ).

Genetic Composition The microsatellite (Tim King, US GS) and haplotype (Ike Wirgin, NYU) assignments were completed and received for Atlantic sturgeon (n= 105) collected during directed sampling
in 2009

- 2010. A total of 57 (54.3%) Atlantic sturgeon were assigned to the NY Bight, 11 (10.5%) of these received the River of Origin (ROO) assignment to the Delaware River and the remaining 46 (43.8%) ROO was assigned to the Hudson River (Table 4 ). The remaining individuals were assigned to other DPS units.

Spawning Site Identification During the probable period of spawning in 2011 six adult Atlantic sturgeon deem ed likely in spawning condition ( from directed sampling efforts ) were detected in the Delaware
River. T wo of these six were individuals that had entered the Delaware River in 20 09 and 2010 (DSU1052433 and DSU1052442), one had entered the Delaware River in 2010 (DSU1084965) and the other 3 were tagged in 2010 (DSU1084956, DSU1084958, and DSU1084980) and wereDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 10 of 24 not previously detected in the Delaware River (Table 5 ). Atlantic sturge on # DSU1052433 (male, ROO Delaware) entered the river on May 6 (15.9 o C) and departed on June 8 (23.1 o C), Atlantic sturgeon # DSU1052442 (male, ROO Delaware) entered the river on May 5 (16.2 o C) and departed on June 3 (22.3 o C); both sturgeon were detect ed in the same areas as in 2009 and 2010 entering as far upstream as river kilometer (rkm) 135 and 122 respectively (Figure 4 ). Atlantic sturgeon # DSU1084965 (male, ROO James), entered the river on May 13 (17.2 o C) and departed on May 30 (21.0 o C) reachi ng a maximum upstream extent of rkm 190. Atlantic sturgeon # DSU1084956 (male, ROO Kennebec), entered the Delaware River on May 8 (15.8

o C) and departed on June 8 (23.1 o C) reaching a maximum upstream extent of rkm 201. Two females with ROO being the Del aware were detected in the Delaware River in 2011 both of these females had gonads with mid

- vitellogenic ovarian follicles at time of capture in 2010 and were likely in spawning condition in 2011 (Joel Van Eenennaam personal communication).
While these in dividuals did not go upstream as far as two of the males
, they did occupy areas deemed to have suitable habitat, i.e. flowing freshwater and hard bottom substrate (Sommerfield
and Mads e n 2003, and Simpson 2008). Atlantic sturgeon # DSU 1084958 entered the river on May 7 (15.9 o C) and remained in the river for 9 days before leaving on May 18 (18.1 o C) traveling as far upstream as rkm 135. When captured in 2010 this female was 196cm FL and weighed 79 kg. Atlantic sturgeon # 108490 went slightly further upstream (rkm 148) and remained in the river for a much longer period of time, entering the river on May 21 (18.4 o C) and remained in the river until July 30 (28.9 o C). This female was 206cm FL and weighed 84kg
in 2010. The movements of all six adult Atlantic sturgeon were monitored via both passive and manual telemetry in an attempt to ascertain if they were moving into areas similar to that of known spawning habitat in other rivers or areas previously identified as potential spawning areas, i.e. high freshwater flows and hard bottom ( Sommerfield and Madse n 2003, and Simpson 2008). Utilizing the loc ations of these individuals, attempts were made to collect fertilized eggs on cobble/gravel substrates in two areas in the Delaware River (Figure 5 ). The first area is a section of the river between Tinicum Island and Marcus Hook, PA (rkm 120

- 150). The s econd area is much further upriver between the northern edge of the city of Philadelphia and Burlington, NJ (rkm 170

- 190). We deployed 248 eggs mats for 2 days each for a total of approximately 12,000 egg

- mat/hours, but no Atlantic sturgeon eggs were colle cted.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 11 of 24 L iterature Cited:
Simpson, P.C. 2008. Movements and habitat use of Delaware River Atlantic Sturgeon. Masters Thesis. Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware. 137pp.
Sommerfield, C.K. and J.A. Madsen. 2003. Sedimentological and geophysical sur vey of the upper Delaware Estuary. Final Report to the Delaware River Basin Commission. 126p.

Presentations:
Breece, M. W., P.C. Simpson and D. A. Fox. 2011. Coping with progress, Atlantic sturgeon spawning characteristics and locations in the Delaware River. Mid

- Atlantic Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. Barnegat, NJ.
Breece, M. W., T. F. Savoy and D. A. Fox. 2011. Factors Influencing the Coastal Movements of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Mid

- Atlantic and Along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. Seattle, WA.
Breece, M. W., P.C. Simpson and D. A. Fox 2011. Shifting Environm ents, Shifting Habitats, Atlantic Sturgeon Spawning Characteristics and Locations in the Delaware River. World Sturgeon Conservation Society: North American Chapter Annual Meeting. Nanaimo, BC.

Table 3 . Number of transmitters detected by region of the passive listening array by year of transmitter deployment.
Year Telemetered Region of the array 2009 (64) 2010 (40) 2011 (75) Total (179) Coastal 48 36 74 158 Delaware Bay 39 32 60 131 Delaware River 4 6 6 16 Hudson River 18 12 15 45

Table 4 . Proportion of Atlantic sturgeon captured in 2009 and 2010 from directed sampling efforts in the Atlantic Ocean assigned to the New York Bight as well as the Delaware and Hudson River determined from nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
N = 105 mtDNA nDNA nD NA + mtDNA NY Bight 42 (40%) 52(49.5%) 57 (54.3%) Delaware 4 (3.8%) 11 (10.5%) 11 (10.5%) Hudson 39 (37.1%) 46 (43.8%) 46 (43.8)December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 12 of 24 T able 5 . River of Origin (ROO), Sex, Arrival, Departure and Maximum upstream extent (rkm) for each Atlantic sturgeon in probable spawning condition that entered the Delaware River in 2011.
Atlantic sturgeon ID ROO Sex Arrival Departure Maximum rkm Date Temperature

(°C) Date Temperature (°C) 1052433 Delaware Male 6

- May 15.9 8

- Jun 23.1 135 1052442 Delaware Male 5

- May 16.2 3

- Jun 22.3 122

1084965 James Male 13

- May 17.2 30

- May 21 190 1084956 Kennebec Male 8

- May 15.8 8

- Jun 23.1 201 1084958 Delaware Female 7

- May 15.9 18

- May 18.1 135

1084980 Delaware Female 21

- May 18.4 30

- Jul 28.9 148December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 13 of 24 Figure 2 . Location of acoustic receivers in the Delaware River, Delaware Bay and along the Atlantic coast of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 14 of 24 Figure 3 . Location of acoustic receivers in the Hudson River and New York Harbor.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 15 of 24 Figure 4 . Individual adult Atlantic sturgeon locations by river kilometer for the likely period of spawning for 2011.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 16 of 24 Figure 5 . Location of artificial substrate sampling sites for the likely period of spawning in 2011.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 17 of 24 Expenditures
Salaries/Wages: $24,457.97
Benefits: $ 7,763.75
Travel: $166.72
Contractual: $887.34
Indirect Cost: $8,113.22 Supplies: $1,271.96

___ T OTAL : $42,660.96

6

- Examination of shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon movements, habitat utilization and
interaction in Connecticut waters. A total of 134 Atlantic sturgeon and 122 shortnose sturgeon were collected during this project segment. 178 gill net sets and 38 trawls were made on 53 days from June 1 through
October 25. N etting efforts to collect sturgeon were un successful af ter Septe mber. All sturgeon collected were examined, and processed. Processing included : collection of meristic

measurements , examination for previous tags including external (t

- bar, carlin and telemetry transmitters) and internal tags (both PIT tags and telemetr y transmitters). Untagged sturgeon that had not been previously marked received 2 external t

- bar tags and a Pit tag implanted near the dorsal fin. A smaller subset of both shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon were reserved for surgical implantation of an ultr asonic transmitter. All shortnose sturgeon collected were captured within the Connecticut River. Twenty five of the 122 shortnose sturgeon collected had an ultrasonic transmitter surgically implanted. Three different variations of transmitter were utili zed. Of the 25 shortnose sturgeon telemetered, seven transmitters were coded tags, eight were temperature sensing and 8 were pressure sensing (depth). We were not successful in implanting 25 ultrasonic transmitters in Altantic sturgeon owing to a couple of logistical factors, mainly low catch rates during the cooler water period. Seventeen transmitters were implanted, four transmitters were coded tags, two were temperature sensing and 11 were pressure sensing (depth). Approximately
one third (43/134) of the Atlantic sturgeon captured were collected within the Connecticut River. Atlantic sturgeon collected in the River (mean FL = 75.4 cm, range 53.5 to 115.5 cm Fl, 4.2 kg) were significantly smaller than those collected in Long Island Sound (mean FL = 11 6.4 cm, range 65.0 to 177.0 cm Fl, 14.6 kg).December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 18 of 24 The acoustic telemetry array in the Connecticut River of 20 V EMCO VR2W receivers was deployed from the end of April 2011 through the end of the segment and will remain in the
water over the winter. Receivers i n the river covered from near the mouth (approximate rkm 1.0) to just below the Connecticut/Massachusetts State Line (rkm = 112). Preliminary analyses suggest good numbers of detections of tagged sturgeon were obtained from some locations. Ongoing data c ollection over the course of a year will indicate if receiver locations need to be
altered. We will increase the in

- river array by additional receivers if losses continue to be moderate (2 receivers were lost associated with high river flows from Tropical Storm Irene).

Supplies and Equipment budget:
V EMCO acoustic receivers, ultrasonic transmitters (3 types including coded tags, temperature and depth sensing transmitters) and associated receiver mooring supplies were all obtained in time to be deployed for the 2011 summer field season. We were unable to u pgrade our older VR2’s for newer VR2W’s with appropriate code maps in time to re

- deploy during this field season because of internal CT DEEP practices. Hopefully this upgrade will be conducted in the near future resulting in the addition of 12 useable aco ustic receivers.

7

- Movements and habitat use of near

- shore environments in Connecticut waters by Atlantic sturgeon
As described in job 6 (above), 134 Atlantic sturgeon were captured during this segment. All fish collections took place in areas not subject to the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan (HPTRP). Aggregating both catch and effort on a gross scale demonstrates grossly uneven collections of fish in Long Island Sound (LIS) ( 91 Atlantic sturgeon) versus the Connecticut
River (CTR) (43 Atlantic sturgeon) despite almost equal levels of gill netting effort (88 sets in
LIS vs. 91 sets in CTR). Within LIS, catch was further un

- equally divided between the two known major concentration areas. The area around the mouth of the Connecticut River only

ac counted for 13 sturgeon versus 78 sturgeon collected from the LIs central basin area with more than double the netting effort (mouth area 64 nets vs. Central basin area 24 nets). Atlantic sturgeon were very non

- randomly distributed spatially and temporall y . Number of fish collected increased from June through August leading to hopes of high catches in SeptemberDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 19 of 24 which usually had the highest collections in previous study efforts (CT DEEP unpublished). Unfortunately, only a single sturgeon was collected in September and none after that. Typically, Atlantic sturgeon can be collected in Connecticut waters until October or November and telemetry data confirms the continued presence of Atlantic sturgeon until th at time.
Decrease in numbers of fish collected i n 2011 was strongly correlated with passage of Tropical Storm Irene over Long Island Sound and through Connecticut and up into New England. Rainfall from this storm dumped an unprecedented volume of water into the Connecticut River
and also flushed tons o f sediment out into Long Island Sound.
The acoustic telemetry array in Long Island Sound of 25 V EMCO VR2W receivers was deployed from the end of April 2011 through the end of the segment. All receivers will be
removed from the water in early to mid

- Dec ember , weather conditions permitting. Receivers were deployed from near Falkner Island in the Central Sound area to off new London in the eastern end. Additional receivers will be deployed to collect additional information and provide more complete cover age of LIS; however attrition losses in LIS remain high. No receivers were lost as a direct result of Tropical Storm Irene, but several receivers were displaced several kilometers as a result of high river outflows.
Preliminary analyses document ed detect ions of tagged sturgeon from most locations. Some receivers only collected a few detections of Connecticut tagged Atlantic sturgeon but provided important timing or spatial information suc h as when fish entered or left Long Island
Sound. Other receivers in high use areas documented daily activity over long time periods. Movement patterns of individual fish will be compared with others and correlated with environmental variables to the extent possible.

Expenditures (Objective 7 and 8): Salaries/Fringe $34,589.50 Supplies $94, 645.03
Contractural $589.75

____ TOTAL $129,824.28

8

- Development of remote sensed spatial models for sturgeons in the mid

- Atlantic regionDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 20 of 24 The University of Delaware’s task during this reporting period was to collect and organize r eal

- time satellite data from multiple platforms in the project study region. The online data repository for this analysis is a THREDDS server 1 for sea surface temperatures at the following two links: http://tds.maracoos.org/thredds/SST.html and http://tds.maracoos.org/thredds/MODIS.html

. The data can be visualized by going to the following link: ( http://orb.ceoe.udel.edu/public

- access ). All significant water masses in the study region were mapped to assist with the analysis. Despite delayed receipt of funding, the University was able to accomplish the goal of assembling the appropriate sat ellite data streams by leveraging funding from other projects. Appropriate computer equipment to assist tasks in the remaining years of the grant were also purchased with non

- Section 6 project funds with the expectation of
reimbursement once funds were r eceived from the DNREC. Receipt of funds from DNREC was delayed in part due to the development and finalization of a contract agreement between the two parties. Also, because of the 32% reduction in federal funds for year 2 , we have shifted work
from a Po st

- Doc to a graduate student. This graduate student has been identified, and will be starting work on the project in February 2012. At the moment, we expect our year 2 goals to be
on track.

Expenditures to date: Salary/Indirect & Computing E quipment $4039.00

9

- Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry Network:

Results and Discussion:
Lori Brown was hired as the ACT Network manager in June 2011. She has been communicating with US and Canadian based researchers regarding the process of maintaining the existing frame work while developing and moving towards a different system of data sha ring.

1 The THREDDS Data Server (TDS) is a web server that provides metadata and data access for scientific datasets, using OPeNDAP, OGC WMS and WCS, HTTP, and other remote data access protocols. The TDS is developed and supported by Unidata, a division of the Uni versity Corporation for Atmospheric Research ( UCAR ), and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 21 of 24 Efforts have been made to streamline the existing methods and provide an updated more readily
available tag list

. The previous methods involved receiving i ndividual transmitter information from researchers and incorporating that information into a s preadsheet that is coast

- wide. While this method worked, it was far from ideal . A s new collaborators got involved the list had to be updated and sent out to everyone (over 60 individuals) multiple times, so researchers were not always working with the most up

- to

- date lists when looking at their data. Also, there were many
issues with standardizing and formatting subm itted information between researchers; making queries and searches challenging.
In an attempt to remedy this, Lori has been working to standardize the existing transmitter master list as well as develop a new transmitter update sheet that will allow

resear chers to easily provide new transmitter codes that need to be appended to the master transmitter list. The transmitter master list is now being stored as a GoogleDoc which can be accessed by any collaborator through the following web

- link : ( https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj6Cuknn68JXdG5aWVJDbmFmMHNkNGJV QkdKQVpnSkE ). Utilizing cloud storage allows researchers to access the most up

- to

- date version of the document when analyzing their data. The new transmitter code update sheet has been standardized and sent to all researchers involved in the ACT Network so they can provide this past season’s transmitter codes. In order to resolve some of t he standardization issues, drop down menus, look

- up functions, and calculation functions have been implemented to reduce the potential error that may occur with adding transmitter information (Figure 6 ). This is currently
be ing maintain ed in Microsoft Exc el as researchers are most familiar/comfortable with the Excel
format. S ome researchers are interested in the sharing capabilities of GoogleDocs so the following has been provided as a web

- based option: ( https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj6Cuknn68JXdHRvanJfbEgzVHNZUXR3Rm Fma3R6N0E&authkey=CLSJ6PsD )
Lori has also been working d irectly with the researchers in the Delaware area to standardize VEMCO receiver information for ease of sharing telemetry data. A w orking list of all receivers in Delaware River, Bay and coastal water s w as developed . This working list
includes U S Coast G uard Light List number if the receiver is placed on an Aid to Navigation, Station Name (buoy number/general name), general location (river, bay, or coast), geospatialDecember 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 22 of 24 reference (latitude/longitude), owner, receiver number, and river km i f the receiver is i n the Bay/River. The Station Names and geospatial references are also associated in VUE (the VEMCO database software) so as receivers are downloaded, the receiver information can be directly associated with the appropriate location information. Because s ome old VEMCO technology (VR2 receivers) is still being used in some regions of the river, it is necessary to associate the location information post

- download. Likewise, some of the current VEMCO receivers (VR2W receivers) are deployed without initializin g the location information for various reasons, and the data files must be edited prior to adding to the standardized VUE
database. To ease this process, efforts have been made to develop methods of sharing including sharing files online through Dropbox ( a cloud

- based storage site) and GoogleDocs. This has allowed all involved researchers to access the corrected and accurate raw files, allowing them to develop their own databases for processing data in a manner that suits them. Developing these
standards is key in the future direction of ACT. Working at th e local level and developing sharing methods will aid in determining what will work on the Network

- wide level. B ased on existing sharing methods and discussions about the direction collaborators are in terested in going
, a survey will be developed and sent out to all of the current collaborators in order to see what can and cannot be agreed upon

. Because it is such a large g roup and researchers are spread out along the length of the coast, logistically this seems to be the best starting point. Lori has
been in contact with John Kocik ( NOAA

- NMFS Maine Field Office ) who has developed a telemetry database for the Gulf of Maine region. Other t elemetry data sharing Networks (e.g. POST, TOPP, and OTN) are being examined as work continues to achieve the goal of an online secure telemetry exchange network.December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 23 of 24 Figure 6

. Example of Transmitter Code Update Sheet. Information requests have been standardized and simplified in order to reduce errors and ease the data sharing process. Note functions and drop down menus embedded in the sheet.

10

- Education/Outreach:
Benyo, M. A. 2011. The Sturgeon General: researcher Dewayne Fox tracks a great fish once plentiful in local waters. Delaware Beach Life. August 2011; pp. 38

- 45.
Stutz, B. 2011. Mysterious and Imperiled Creature of the Deep. Onearth: a survival guide for the planet published by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Winter 2011

- 2012: pp. 42

- 47.

11

- Data Processing / Regulatory Information:December 2011 Progress Report

- NAI0NMF4720030 Page 24 of 24 The State Of New Jersey will incorporate occurrence information for shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon into the En dangered and Nongame Species Program’s Biotics database and Landscape Project. Information on shortnose sturgeon (and Atlantic sturgeon on c e the species is listed either by the state or by the NMFS) critical areas in the Delaware River, including spawning and nursery areas, will be available to such agencies as NJDEP’s Land Use Regulation Program (LUR). Since field work initiated late in the project period, occurrence data were not available for entry into either Biotics or inclusion in the Landscape Proj ect. Data processing
activities will occur once results from field work are available.