Biology and Conservation of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio L. 1758

Transcription

1 Biology and Conservation of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio L. 1758

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3 Patrick Williot l Eric Rochard l Nathalie Desse-Berset l Jörn Gessner Editors Frank Kirschbaum l Biology and Conservation of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio L The Reunion of the European and Atlantic Sturgeons

4 Editors Dr. Patrick Williot Sturgeon Consultant Rue du Pas de Madame Audenge France williot.patrick@neuf.fr Dr. Nathalie Desse-Berset Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis CNRS-CEPAM-UMR 6130, SJA3 Avenue des Diables Bleus Nice cedex 4 France berset.desse@hotmail.com berset@cepam.cnrs.fr Dr. Jörn Gessner Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei Müggelseedamm Berlin Germany sturgeon@igb-berlin.de Dr. Eric Rochard Cemagref Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit Avenue de Verdun Cestas cedex France eric.rochard@cemagref.fr Prof. Frank Kirschbaum Humboldt-Universität Berlin Abt. Biologie und Ökologie der Fische Philippstr Berlin Haus 16 Germany frank.kirschbaum@staff.hu-berlin.de ISBN e-isbn DOI / Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (

5 Dedication to Dr. Etienne Magnin Dr. Étienne Magnin ( ) was one of the few contemporary researchers to take an interest in European sturgeon before it became an endangered species. His doctoral thesis and subsequent work on the biology of the species and, more specifically, of the population of the Gironde basin on its taxonomic position relative to Atlantic sturgeon and on its status, which was already considered a cause for concern in the 1950s, laid much of the scientific groundwork for a body of knowledge that others continue to build on and that will, we hope, some day make possible the survival of this magnificent fish. Paradoxically, Dr. Magnin, though he came late to the field of biology, was a pioneer, and not only with respect to his research in France on European sturgeon. After settling in Canada, where he was first a consultant (1962), then a professor in the Department of Biology at the Université de Montréal ( ), he was also a pioneer in the development of knowledge about the aquatic ecosystems of the St. Lawrence River and the James Bay region during the early stages of construction of the large-scale hydroelectric projects in this vast, little-known northern territory. His areas of interest were many. Both an ichthyologist and a limnologist, Dr. Magnin authored or co-authored, with the graduate students and researchers who worked in his laboratory and that of the Société d énergie de la Baie James where he was scientific director for more than 7 years, 81 scientific papers: 48 on fish (including 16 on European and North American Acipenseridae), 17 on benthic organisms, six on zooplankton, five on phytoplankton and five on various other subjects (such as amphibians). His book on the freshwater ecology of the James Bay region (1977) still remains a major reference work. Dr. Magnin was also an outstanding teacher. Those, like us, who had the opportunity of taking his zoology and comparative anatomy courses were able to appreciate his rigorous approach, his clarity of thought, his attention to detail, his respect for students and his sense of humour. He was also a mentor, whose knowledge, commitment, enthusiasm and support enabled him to train three PhD students and 28 master s students in a span of 20 years. Many of these went on to their own research careers in academe and public service, contributing, in turn, to improving v

6 vi Dedication to Dr. Etienne Magnin our understanding and protection of freshwater ecosystems, preparing a new generation of biologists and developing a profession that plays an increasingly integrated role in the decision-making processes of today s society. Pierre Dumont Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec Peter Harper Université de Montréal

7 Dedication to Dr. Juraj Holčik RNDr. Juraj Holčík, CSc. eminent Slovak zoologist was born on October 18, 1934 in Trnava in Western Slovakia. He completed his B.Sc. (1958) and PhD (1966) studies at Charles University in Prague. Before being appointed Director of the newly established Institute of Zoology and Ecosozology (in 1995 re-named Institute of Zoology), Slovak Academy of Sciences in 1990, Dr. Holčík was research officer and after 1972 the Senior Research Officer of the Institute of Fishery Research and Hydrobiology in Bratislava. He also worked at the Regional Museum at Trnava and the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava as the Curator of Zoology and Curator of Lower Vertebrates respectively. The scope of his scientific activity was very diverse, and included taxonomy, zoogeography, ecology, population dynamics, limnology, and ecosozology, as well as production, introduction, acclimatization and conservation of fish gene pool (genofond). However, ichthyology was the main focus of his work. He was an internationally renowned expert on Palearctic Petromyzontidae, Salmonidae, and Cyprinidae (especially the subfamilies Acheilognathinae and Percidae). He described six new fish species, three subspecies and two new hybrid forms of fish fauna in Slovakia, Romania, Mongolia, the Balkans and Iran. Of these, Gymnocephalus baloni (Holčík and Hensel 1974) is considered to be one of the last new vertebrate taxa to be described on Slovak territory. He contributed to the development of a methodology for studying ecological fish production in open waters. He contributed significantly to the fact that the Slovak Hungarian section of the Danube river is one of the best studied sections not only of the Danube but also of large rivers overall. He also contributed to our understanding of the importance of floodplains and knowledge of the causal relationships between the density, ecological production and activity of fish populations on one hand, and main abiotic environmental factors on the other hand. Concerning the population dynamics of fish in man-made water reservoirs, he amended principles of stepwise evolution of ichthyofauna. He was an uncompromising advocate of the conservation of the vii

8 viii Dedication to Dr. Juraj Holčik Danube inland delta below Bratislava which he supported even as a Member of Parliament of the Czecho Slovak Federative Republic. During his career he published, either alone or with co-authors, 170 original articles, over 200 popular science articles, and 25 books or book chapters. Some of them were published in several languages and multiple editions. For example, the book Holčík J, Mihlik J and Malý J: Freshwater Fishes was published in four English editions as well as in seven additional editions in five different languages. Dr. Holčík is coauthor of an ongoing book series entitled The Freshwater Fishes of Europe, for which he created the structure of individual book chapters and was the editor of the first part of the series (Vol. 1/I: Petromyzontes, 1986, Vol. 1/II: General introduction to Fishes, Acipenseriformes, 1989, AULA Verlag Wiesbaden) for which he also authored several chapters. It is noteworthy that in 1998 he published the first and still the only textbook of ichthyology in the former Czechoslovakia (Ichtyológia, Vydavateľstvo Príroda, Bratislava). This significant scientific output is a demonstration of his creativity, extraordinary industriousness, and determination. In the 1960s J. Holčík led a Czechoslovak limnological expedition to Cuba. In addition, he worked as a visiting professor at the University of Waterloo (Canada, ; 1992), and as a technical advisor for FAO in Iran ( ) and Ghana ( ). He also supervised and graduated several promising scientists. Dr. Holčík s publications and his activity in international ichthyological organizations (which was negatively influenced by political discrimination from the 1950s to the 1980s) had a significant impact on his scientific reputation. He was frequently asked to chair congresses and symposia, became a member of editorial boards of five international scientific journals (Biologia, Folia Zoologica, Bios, Environmental Biology of Fishes, and Voprosy ichtiologii), and was an active board member in many, primarily ichthyological organizations. For his lifetime achievements he was awarded the World Wide Fund for Nature Award for Conservation Merit in 1996 and the G.J. Mendel honour medal of the Czech Academy of Sciences in He passed away on May 16, Kristina Holčik

9 Preface General Introduction, Context, Origin and Setting Up of the Project The European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio L. 1758, used to be one of the most widespread sturgeon species (Magnin 1959). However, like most Eurasian sturgeon species, its status has now become critical (Williot et al. 2002), it has been extirpated from the great majority of its natural biotopes, and survives only in the French Atlantic coast façade, the Garonne basin, with a population on the verge of extinction (Rochard et al. 1990). The species was exploited more or less intensively for decades and even centuries, as it was in most European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (Italy, France, and Spain), the Eastern Atlantic Ocean (Spain, France), the North Sea (the Netherlands and Germany), and the Baltic Sea (Classen 1944; Holčik 1989). The species can therefore be looked upon as an emblematic European species. Compared with terrestrial animals or plants, fish combine several handicaps: they are not visible, they move, sometimes far away from the administrative limits of human societies. Fisheries are under-managed, as can be seen from changes in fish population status, and fish conservation is almost ignored. The sturgeon is no exception. Moreover, the European sturgeon is further handicapped. It is an anadromous species which colonises alternately a great variety of biotopes in fresh, brackish, and marine waters which do not tick the administrative boxes. Other biological characteristics such as longevity, late puberty, and non-yearly oogenesis make them even more susceptible to exploitation in spite of their apparent robustness (Boreman 1997; Jager et al. 2008). Much has been done in France in the last few decades in favour of the preservation conservation restoration of the species, especially by research bodies. However, despite great efforts and protection, the status of the species has deteriorated. The conservation programme of the European sturgeon in France was begun in the early 1970s. In 2007 for the first time, a breakthrough was achieved with the first ix

10 x Preface reproduction of cultured brood fish (Williot et al. 2009) which made it possible for the restoration programme to start again. This was the opportunity to draw up an extensive assessment of the long-term programme, to update available knowledge, describe the context, and make known some long-term concerns. The European sturgeon restoration conservation programme has been a complicated programme, full of pitfalls. We realised that, among other things, besides its unusual scientific and technical aspects, conservation does not only have scientific relevance. Indeed, social, economic, political, financial, and administrative aspects are an integral part of any preservation conservation programme. In the field of science, conservation issues are facing many difficulties. Research into biodiversity is favoured but not protection stricto sensu, and conservation actions are not considered with much enthusiasm in France. Thus, grants from this source are for the most part not accessible for concrete actions. In addition, in the absence of training courses in Conservation Biology, most people working in the field are undereducated, at least when they begin their careers. Thus, it is necessary to take time to explain, to discuss, to exchange and finally to get the consensus of all those involved, even though a specific decision might be not considered as the optimal one from scientific and technical points of view. Consensus is a key issue for going further. Many biological sciences are potentially concerned by fish management and conservation, sometimes at both fundamental and applied levels. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to mobilise specialists. One of the great challenges of conservation biology is that the situation of certain species is so critical that waiting for supposedly needed data would inexorably lead to the extinction of a species. The European sturgeon conservation programme was a good example of the difficulties that have been faced. Due to the high depletion status of the species, the decision was taken by a few people in a research institute to acquire experience and set up methods using another sturgeon species as a biological model, the Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii Brandt Not only did the species play its role of model species almost to perfection, but also the further economic development achieved by farming the species enabled the leading French institute to obtain a new research facility. And this proved to be a key point for building the ex situ European sturgeon brood stock. Another fruitful consequence was that conservation and farming sturgeon activities enabled us to hold ACIPENSER, the first International Symposium on sturgeon (ISS1) in Bordeaux in 1989 (Williot (ed) 1991). The evaluation of the primary project submitted to Springer was rapid, positive and accompanied by two requests. The first was to include the restoration plan of the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) in the US, and the second to update the data regarding the status of the European sturgeon in the River Rioni in Georgia. No recent paper has been published on the status of the species in Georgia since the synthesis by Ninua (1976). At the time, it had been known for some years that the Atlantic sturgeon (A. oxyrinchus) inhabited the Baltic Sea (Ludwig et al. 2002; Tiedemann et al. 2007). Consequently, restoration actions for the species have started in both Poland and Germany. At almost the same time as our book project got underway, a French

11 Preface xi archaeozoologist was publishing a scoop showing that the Atlantic sturgeon had inhabited the French Atlantic coasts for a long time (Desse-Berset 2009), from 5000 YBP to 300 YAD, which strongly suggested that the two species were sympatric in the area. We therefore seized the opportunity offered by the Springer incentive, and decided to broaden the Atlantic sturgeon issues in this book by introducing several actions in favour of the species, and looking for somebody able to provide the latest available data from the Georgian population. So this book is timely in taking into account the new situation of sturgeons in Western Europe, especially in France. It is worth noting that it was only recently in the 1960s that the two species were recognised as different (Magnin 1962, 1964; Magnin and Beaulieu 1963). And further genetic investigations have constantly pointed out the great proximity of the two species (e.g., Fontana et al. 2008). Clearly, such a project would have missed its objectives without the participation of co-editors, including the unusual involvement of an archaeozoologist. This illustrates the need to open up conservation biology to new fields, and the need for cooperation, as mentioned above. All of them have brought very decisive inputs to the book, which would have been much less valuable otherwise. I would like to gratefully acknowledge Eric, Nathalie, Jörn and Frank for their enthusiasm, kindness and efficiency in contributing to our work. The contents of the book were based on the following central themes: (a) providing a book on conservation in practice, with the European sturgeon as an example, (b) updating knowledge in the field, (c) broadening the range of concerned disciplines, (d) highlighting aspects that are not strictly scientific, (e) assuming new issues from the presence of two sturgeon species, the European and the Atlantic sturgeons, and (f) showing internal coherence, illustrated by the numerous crossreferences. The very great majority of those we contacted agreed to contribute. The contributors are greatly acknowledged, all the more so since many of them provided unpublished inputs, either results or analysis. The book is divided into six unequal parts. The first part deals with all the available biological data on species population. A very brief introduction provides the reader unfamiliar with sturgeon with some basic characteristics, with a special focus on the European sturgeon. In addition to cytogenetic matters, a large section is devoted to geographical extension, present and past, with different approaches, literature, archaeozoology, and palaeogenetics, to the history of populations and fisheries in diverse countries, especially those for which there was no recent synthesis, and to some specific biological traits. As the Atlantic sturgeon was invited to participate in the book, two chapters deal with comparisons of the two species in terms of morphology and osteometry of the bones and morphology for the juveniles. It is noteworthy that most of the physiological functions of the species were, and still are, to a great extent under-documented, e.g., reproduction, osmoregulation, endocrinology, nutrition, and haematology, with the exception of a preliminary investigation on the hydromineral balance (Magnin 1962), and on reproductive endocrinology (Davail-Cuisset et al. 2008).

12 xii Preface The second part is an illustrated interlude devoted to part of the iconography of the European sturgeon, i.e., mainly photos and stamps. The sources are limited to France for the photos. The third part focuses on the restoration conservation actions that have been undertaken in France and later in Germany. Apart from the two chapters that draw an historic overview of European sturgeon-related management issues in France and Germany, the other chapters can be arranged under three topics dealing with: population, ex situ efforts, and efforts relying rather on non-scientific actions. The chapters reporting on population studies focus on methods and their applications, e.g., age determination, marking and tagging, monitoring of post-release sturgeon, and an attempt to model the future of these released fish. The ex situ actions cover sex determination and maturation staging, reproduction with two alternatives, wild and farmed brood fish because the management logics are different, larval rearing, brood stock building, its genetic variability, and sperm cryoconservation. The third topic in this part deals with the role of non-governmental stakeholders, awareness campaigns among marine professional fishermen, and a synthesis on French German cooperation. The fourth part is focused entirely on Atlantic sturgeon management, illustrated by fisheries in Québec (Ca), conservation in the US, and restoration in the Baltic Sea. Some perspectives and prospective concerns are described in part five. They deal with the in situ life history, the potential effects of climate change, a population viability analysis, some preliminary investigation into cryobanking of somatic cells, and biological variability. Finally, part six contains some thoughts on the future of the species. As a preface to part 1, I am very pleased to dedicate the book to the memory of two renowned scientists because the present European sturgeon combined biology restoration programme benefited from their previous studies and investment in the species. Dr Etienne Magnin started his career in France by publishing the first documented compendium on the biology of the European sturgeon and then went on to work in Québec, Canada where he also spent time working on sturgeon, especially (but not only) the Atlantic sturgeon. He was responsible for the first documented distinction between the two species, the European and Atlantic sturgeons. E. Magnin unfortunately missed our invitation to participate in ACIPEN- SER, the ISS1 in The second scientist is Dr Juraj Holčik, well known for many important works, but in particular for publishing The Freshwater Fishes of Europe, focusing on Petromyzontiformes and Acipenseriformes, with the last edition published in He personally wrote with colleagues the chapter that dealt with the European sturgeon, and continued to be involved in those issues. Due to health problems, he declined our invitation to contribute to the present book. Many thanks are due to Pierre Dumont and Peter Harper for the lines on E. Magnin. I am very grateful to Kristina Holčik for her kind offer of a text on Juraj s activities. Audenge, France Patrick Williot

13 Preface xiii References Boreman J (1997) Sensitivity of North American sturgeons and paddlefish to fishing mortality. Environ Biol Fish 48: Classen TEA (1944) Estudio bio-estadistico del esturion o sollo del Guadalquivir. Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia, Ministerio de Marina, Trabajos, N 19, 112 p + XVII planches Davail-Cuisset B, Lacomme S, Viaene E, Williot P, Lepage M, Gonthier P, Davail S, Rouault T (2008) Hormonal profile in adults of Atlantic European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, adapted to hatchery in France. Cybium 32(2 suppl): Desse-Berset N (2009) First archaeozoological identification of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill 1815) in France. CR Palevol 8: Fontana F, Lanfredi M, Kirschbaum F, Garrido-Ramos MA, Robles F, Forlani A, Congiu L (2008) Comparison of karyotypes of Acipenser oxyrinchus and A. sturio by chromosome banding and fluorescent in situ hybridization. Genetica 1342: Holčik J, Kinzelbach R, Sokolov LI, Vassilev V P (1989) Acipenser sturio Linnaeus, In: Holčik J (ed) The freshwater fishes of Europe. Aula Verlag, Wiesbaden, pp Jager HI, Rose KA, Vila-Gispert A (2008) Life history correlates and extinction risk of capitalbreeding fish. In: Dufour S, Prévost E, Rochard E, Williot P (eds) Fish and diadromy in Europe (ecology, management, conservation). Hydrobiologia 602:15 25 Ludwig A, Debus L, Lieckfeldt D, Wirgin I, Benecke N, Jenneckens I, Williot P, Waldman JR, Pitra C (2002) When the American sea sturgeon swam east. Nature 419: Magnin E (1959) Répartition actuelle des Acipenséridés. Rev Trav Inst Pêches Marit 23(3): Magnin E (1962) Recherches sur la systématique et la biologie des Acipenséridés Acipenser sturio L., Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill et Acipenser fulvescens Raf. Ann Station Centr Hydrobiol Appl 9:7 242 Magnin E, Beaulieu G (1963) Etude morphométrique comparée de l Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill du Saint Laurent et de l Acipenser sturio Linné de la Gironde. Le Naturaliste Canadien XC (1):5 38 Magnin E (1964) Validité d une distinction spécifique entre les deux Acipenséridés: Acipenser sturio L. d Europe et Acipenser oxyrinchus d Amérique du Nord. Le Naturaliste Canadien XCI (1):5 20 Ninua NSh (1976) Atlantic sturgeon of the Rioni River. Editions Metsniereba, Tbilissi, pp 122 (in Russian) Rochard E, Castelnaud G, Lepage M (1990) Sturgeons (Pisces: Acipenseridae); threats and prospects. J Fish Biol 37A: Tiedemann R, Moll K, Paulus KB, Scheer M, Williot P, Bartel R, Gessner J, Kirschbaum F (2007) Atlantic sturgeons (Acipenser sturio, Acipenser oxyrinchus): American females successful in Europe. Naturwissenschaften 94: doi: /s Williot P (ed) (1991) Acipenser. Actes du premier colloque international sur l esturgeon. Cemagref, Antony, 518p Williot P, Arlati G, Chebanov M, Gulyas T, Kasimov R, Kirschbaum F, Patriche N, Pavlovskaya L, Poliakova L, Pourkazemi M, Kim Yu, Zhuang P, Zholdasova IM (2002) Status and management of Eurasian sturgeon: an overview. Int Rev Hydrobiol 87: Williot P, Rouault T, Pelard M, Mercier D, Jacobs L (2009) Artificial reproduction of captive endangered European Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser sturio. Endang Species Res 6: doi: /esr00174

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15 Acknowledgements We would like to thank all the colleagues at Cemagref who spent time and effort into this long-term programme, and more specifically Chantal Gardes for her decisive help with documentation and Philippe Camoin for his map drawing. I am also thankful to the EPBx research unit of Cemagref for the logistic help. Thanks are due to Antoine Pasqualini and Jean-Denys Strich (CEPAM-CNRS-Nice University) for their inputs in infography and photography, to Tamas Gulyas for his previous support in sperm cryoconservation and androgenesis investigations. This project would not exist without the efficient and kind help of Verena Penning, Anette Lindqvist, and Athiappan Kumar from Springer. xv

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17 Contents Part I Biology, History, Geographical Distribution and Status, from Past to Present 1 Brief Introduction to Sturgeon with a Special Focus on the European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio L P. Williot, E. Rochard, N. Desse-Berset, J. Gessner, and F. Kirschbaum 2 Cytogenetics as a Tool for an Exploration of A. sturio Status Within Sturgeons Francesco Fontana 3 Discrimination of Acipenser sturio, Acipenser oxyrinchus and Acipenser naccarii by Morphology of Bones and Osteometry Nathalie Desse-Berset 4 Morphological Distinction Between Juvenile Stages of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio and the Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus Sven Wuertz, Stefan Reiser, Jörn Gessner, and Frank Kirschbaum 5 Ontogeny of the European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio Frank Kirschbaum and Patrick Williot 6 An Overview on Geographical Distribution from Past Descriptions Géraldine Lassalle, M. Béguer, and E. Rochard xvii

18 xviii Contents 7 Ancient Sturgeon Populations in France Through Archaeozoological Remains, from Prehistoric Time Until the Eighteenth Century Nathalie Desse-Berset 8 Palaeogeographic Patterns of A. sturio Olivier Chassaing, Nathalie Desse-Berset, Marilyne Duffraisse, Gaël Piquès, Catherine Hänni, and Patrick Berrebi 9 Sturgeon in Iberia from Past to Present Arne Ludwig, Arturo Morales-Muñiz, and Eufrasia Roselló-Izquierdo 10 Biological Cycles and Migrations of Acipenser sturio M.L. Acolas, G. Castelnaud, M. Lepage, and E. Rochard 11 Habitat, Movements and Feeding of Juvenile European Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) in Gironde Estuary Laurent Brosse, Catherine Taverny, and Mario Lepage 12 Characteristics of the Reproductive Cycle of Wild Acipenser sturio Patrick Williot, Thierry Rouault, Rémi Brun, and Jörn Gessner 13 Sturgeon Fishing, Landings, and Caviar Production During the Twentieth Century in the Garonne Basin and the Coastal Sea Gérard Castelnaud 14 Historic Overview on the Status of the European Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) and Its Fishery in the North Sea and Its Tributaries with a Focus on German Waters J. Gessner, S. Spratte, and F. Kirschbaum 15 History of the Sturgeon in the Baltic Sea and Lake Ladoga Ryszard Kolman, Andrzej Kapusta, and Jacek Morzuch 16 The Historical and Contemporary Status of the European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio L., in Italy Paolo Bronzi, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Stefano Cataudella, and Remigio Rossi 17 European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio in Georgia Ryszard Kolman

19 Contents xix 18 Present Legal Status of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio E. Rochard Part II Iconography of the European Sturgeon 19 Iconography of the European Sturgeon in France Nathalie Desse-Berset and Patrick Williot Part III Restoration: Conservation of Acipenser sturio, Scientific and Political Management 20 Historic Overview of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio in France: Surveys, Regulations, Reasons for the Decline, Conservation, and Analysis Patrick Williot and Gérard Castelnaud 21 Restoration of the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio in Germany Frank Kirschbaum, Patrick Williot, Frank Fredrich, Ralph Tiedemann, and Jörn Gessner 22 Fishery By-Catch of European Sturgeon in the Bay of Biscay M. Lepage and E. Rochard 23 Age Assessment in European Sturgeon Philippe Jatteau, E. Rochard, M. Lepage, and Christine Gazeau 24 Tagging European and Atlantic Sturgeons in Europe Philippe Jatteau, G. Castelnaud, E. Rochard, J. Gessner, and M. Lepage 25 Mass Marking in European Sturgeon Philippe Jatteau and Aude Lochet 26 Sex Determination and Staging of Gonads Patrick Williot 27 Reproduction of Wild Brood Fish from Garonne Basin Patrick Williot, Thierry Rouault, Rémi Brun, Marcel Pelard, and Daniel Mercier 28 Preliminary Results on Larval Rearing the European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio P. Williot, T. Rouault, R. Brun, M. Pelard, and D. Mercier

20 xx Contents 29 Post-release Monitoring Techniques M.L. Acolas, Charles Roqueplo, E. Rouleau, and E. Rochard 30 Modelling the Future of Stocked Fish E. Rochard and Patrick Lambert 31 Building a Brood Stock of Acipenser sturio in France Patrick Williot, Thierry Rouault, Rémi Brun, Marcel Pelard, Daniel Mercier, Louis Jacobs, and Frank Kirschbaum 32 Reproduction of the Cultured Brood Fish Patrick Williot and Patrick Chèvre 33 Recent Progress in Larval Rearing of the European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio Patrick Chèvre, Julien Saint-Sevin, Daniel Mercier, Louis Jacobs, and Patrick Williot 34 Genetic Variability of Cultured European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio Ralph Tiedemann, Anja Schneider, Patrick Williot, and Frank Kirschbaum 35 Sperm Cryopreservation in Sturgeon with a Special Focus on A. sturio Ákos Horváth, Patrick Chèvre, and Béla Urbányi 36 How Non-governmental Stakeholders Have Contributed to the Conservation Programme in France Didier Moreau 37 Why, How and Results from an Awareness Campaign Within Marine Professional Fishermen for the Protection of Large Migratory Fish, the European Sturgeon Acipenser sturio Nicolas Michelet 38 The French German Cooperation: The Key Issue for the Success of the Preservation and Restoration of the European Sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, and Its Significance for Other Sturgeon Issues Patrick Williot and Frank Kirschbaum

21 Contents xxi Part IV Restoration: Conservation Programmes of Acipenser oxyrinchus 39 Conservation and Restoration of Acipenser oxyrinchus in the USA John Waldman 40 Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) Fishery Management in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Québec, Canada Guy Verreault and Guy Trencia 41 Remediation of Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus in the Oder River: Background and First Results Jörn Gessner, Gerd-Michael Arndt, Frank Fredrich, Arne Ludwig, Frank Kirschbaum, Ryszard Bartel, and Henning von Nordheim 42 The Past and Future of Sturgeons in Poland: The Genetic Approach Ana Stanković 43 Re-establishing the Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Mitchill) in Poland Ryszard Kolman, Andrzej Kapusta, and Arkadiusz Duda Part V Perspectives and Prospectives 44 Population Conservation Requires Improved Understanding of In Situ Life Histories M.L. Acolas, J. Gessner, and E. Rochard 45 Potential Effects of Forthcoming Climate Change and Biological Introductions on the Restoration of the European Sturgeon Géraldine Lassalle, M. Béguer, and E. Rochard 46 Population Viability Analysis of the European Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) from the Gironde Estuary System Ivan Jarić, J. Knežević-Jarić, G. Cvijanović, and Mirjana Lenhardt 47 One Alternative to Germ Cells Cryopreservation: Cryobanking of Somatic Cells in Sturgeon Catherine Labbe, Alexandra Depince, Pierre-Yves Le Bail, and Patrick Williot

22 xxii Contents 48 Some Ex-Situ-Related Approaches for Assessing the Biological Variability of Acipenser sturio Patrick Williot Part VI General Conclusions 49 What Is the Future for the European Sturgeon? Patrick Williot, Eric Rochard, Nathalie Desse-Berset, Jörn Gessner, and Frank Kirschbaum Index

23 Contributors M.L. Acolas Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France, Gerd-Michael Arndt Fisch und Umwelt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.v., Fischerweg 408, Rostock, Germany Ryszard Bartel Instytut Rybactwa Śródlądowego, Zakład Ryb Wędrownych, ul. Synów Pułku 37, Gdańsk, Poland M. Béguer Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France, Patrick Berrebi Institut des Sciences de l Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS/UM2/ IRD, Université Montpellier 2, cc065, Place Bataillon, Montpellier Cedex 05, France, patrick.berrebi@univ-montp2.fr Paolo Bronzi World Sturgeon Conservation Society, via Piave, 8, Vedano al Lambro, Italy, aerespe@mac.com Laurent Brosse Aqua-Logiq, 527 rue Zac Petite Camargue, Lunel, France, laurent.brosse@aqua-logiq.fr Rémi Brun Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France Giuseppe Castaldelli Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari, 46, Ferrara, Italy xxiii

24 xxiv Contributors Gérard Castelnaud Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France, Stefano Cataudella Department of Biology, University of Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica, Rome, Italy Olivier Chassaing Paléogénétique et Evolution Moléculaire, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, INRA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d Italie, Lyon Cedex 07, France; Institut des Sciences de l Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS/UM2/IRD, Université Montpellier 2, cc065, Place Bataillon, Montpellier Cedex 05, France Patrick Chèvre Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Moulin de la logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France; Cemagref, CREA de Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, Moulin de la logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France, patrick.chevre@cemagref.fr G. Cvijanović Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Kneza Višeslava 1, Belgrade, Serbia, mitrandir@imsi.rs Alexandra Depince INRA, UR1037 SCRIBE, Cryopreservation and Regeneration, F-35000, Rennes, France Nathalie Desse-Berset Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis CNRS-CEPAM- UMR 6130, SJA3, 24 avenue des Diables Bleus, NICE Cédex 4, France, berset.desse@hotmail.com; berset@cepam.cnrs.fr Arkadiusz Duda Department of Ichthyology, Inland Fisheries Institute, Oczapowskiego 10, Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland Marilyne Duffraisse Paléogénétique et Evolution Moléculaire, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, INRA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d Italie, Lyon Cedex 07, France Francesco Fontana Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, Ferrara, Italy, francesco.fontana@unife.it Frank Fredrich Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany Christine Gazeau Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Cestas Cedex, France

25 Contributors xxv Jörn Gessner Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany, Catherine Hänni Paléogénétique et Evolution Moléculaire, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, INRA, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 allée d Italie, Lyon Cedex 07, France Ákos Horváth Department of Aquaculture, Szent István University, 2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. u. 1., Hungary, Horvath.Akos@mkk.szie.hu Louis Jacobs Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Moulin de Logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France J. Knežević-Jarić Ecological Society Endemit, Oračka 42, Belgrade, Serbia, jelak@isp.b92.net Ivan Jarići Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Kneza Višeslava 1, Belgrade, Serbia, jaric@imsi.rs Philippe Jatteau Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Cestas Cedex, France, philippe.jatteau@cemagref.fr Andrzej Kapusta Department of Ichthyology, Inland Fisheries Institute, Oczapowskiego 10, Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland Frank Kirschbaum Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture, Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Humboldt University, Philippstr. 13, Haus 16, Berlin, Germany, Frank.kirschbaum@staff.hu-berlin.de; frank.kirschbaum@staff.hu-berlin.de Ryszard Kolman Department of Ichthyology, Inland Fisheries Institute, Oczapowskiego 10, Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland, kolrys@infish.com.pl Catherine Labbe INRA, UR1037 SCRIBE, Cryopreservation and Regeneration, F-35000, Rennes, France, Catherine.Labbe@rennes.inra.fr Patrick Lambert Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France Géraldine Lassalle Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France; UMR 6250 LIENSs, University of La Rochelle CNRS, Institut du Littoral et de l Environnement, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle, France, geraldine.lassalle@univ-lr.fr

26 xxvi Contributors Pierre-Yves Le Bail INRA, UR1037 SCRIBE, Cryopreservation and Regeneration, F-35000, Rennes, France Mirjana Lenhardt Institute for Biological Research, Despota Stefana 142, Belgrade, Serbia Mario Lepage Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50, Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France, mario. Aude Lochet Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Cestas Cedex, France Arne Ludwig Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, Germany, Daniel Mercier Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Moulin de logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France Nicolas Michelet French National Committee for Marine Fisheries and Sea Farming (CNPMEM), 134 Avenue de Malakoff, Paris, France, comite-peches.fr Arturo Morales-Muñiz Laboratorio Arqueozoologia, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Darwin, 2, Madrid, Spain Didier Moreau WWF-France (consultant), 34 rue des Souchères, Nyons, France, Jacek Morzuch Department of Ichthyology, Inland Fisheries Institute, Oczapowskiego 10, Olsztyn-Kortowo, Poland Marcel Pelard Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Moulin de logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France Gaël Piquès Archéologie des sociétés Méditerranéennes, UMR 5140 CNRS, 390 Avenue de Pérols, Lattes, France Stefan Reiser Institute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science, University of Hamburg, Olbersweg 24, Hamburg, Germany Eric Rochard Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France,

27 Contributors xxvii Charles Roqueplo Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France Eufrasia Roselló-Izquierdo Laboratorio Arqueozoologia, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Darwin, 2, Madrid, Spain Remiggio Rossi Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, via L. Borsari, 46, Ferrara, Italy Thierry Rouault Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Moulin de logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France E. Rouleau Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France Julien Saint-Sevin Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, Moulin de Logerie, Saint-Seurin-sur-l Isle, France Anja Schneider Unit of Evolutionary Biology/Systematic Zoology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße (Haus 26), Potsdam, Germany S. Spratte Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und ländliche Räume des Landes Schleswig-Holstein (LLUR), Abt. 3 Fischerei, Dezernat Binnenfischerei und Aquakultur, Hamburger Chaussee 25, Flintbek, Germany Ana Stanković Department of Biology, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw and Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawińskiego 5A, Warsaw, Poland, anams@ibb.waw.pl Catherine Taverny Cemagref, Estuarine Ecosystems and Diadromous Fish Research Unit, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Cestas Cedex, France Ralph Tiedemann Unit of Evolutionary Biology/Systematic Zoology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße (Haus 26), Potsdam, Germany, tiedeman@rz.uni-postdam.de Guy Trencia Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune, 8400 Sous-le-Vent, Charny, QC, Canada, G6X 3S9 Béla Urbányi Department of Aquaculture, Szent István University, 2100 Gödöllő, Páter K. u. 1., Hungary Guy Verreault Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune, 186 rue Fraser, Rivière-du-Loup, QC, Canada, G5R 1C8, Guy.verreault@mrnf.gouv.qc.ca

28 xxviii Contributors Henning von Nordheim Fachgebiet Meeres- und Küstennaturschutz, Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Außenstelle Insel Vilm, Putbus, Germany John Waldman Biology Department, Queens College, Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, New York, NY 11367, USA, Patrick Williot Sturgeon Consultant, 4 Rue du pas de madame, Audenge, France, williot.patrick@neuf.fr Sven Wuertz Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany, sveno@igb-berlin.de