Dispersal and survival of stocked juvenile hatchery-reared Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus)

Abstract The post-stocking dispersal of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill) in the Wis3oka River (southern Poland) was investigated using biotelemetry. Thirty-five hatchery-reared juvenile A. oxyrinchus were tagged with radio or acoustic transmitters and tracked using mobile surveys and fixed receivers. Daily movement patterns were similar in 2009 and 2010. The sturgeon migrated with a mean speed of 1.42 km h-1 in 2009 and of 2.06 km h-1 in 2010. Migration rate was not regarded as being dependent on juvenile sturgeon size. The confirmed survival of individuals from the two field seasons differed slightly over the course of this study. Short-term survival of A. oxyrinchus was 86.7 and 90% in 2009 and 2010, respectively.