Lake sturgeon (acipenser fulvescens) management and status update for the Lake Nipissing watershed : part of the Great Lakes Upper St. Lawrence population, Ontario, Canada

This research paper was completed and submitted at Nipissing University, and is made freely accessible through the University of Toronto’s TSpace repositoryThe Lake Nipissing watershed is situated within the Great Lakes watershed of the province of Ontario, Canada. The two main objectives of this MRP were to compile all available secondary data and related information for Lake Nipissing lake sturgeon and to provide an updated status. To accomplish this, their life history, and past/present threats to their population were considered. To facilitate these objectives each chapter has been structured to reflect three major resource categories contained within. They include: 1) First Nation knowledge, rights and responsibilities in relation to Lake Nipissing lake sturgeon generated through a culturally Indigenous perspective; 2) Relevant written/photographic documentation pertaining to Lake Nipissing lake sturgeon; 3) Available secondary fisheries (scientific) data collected through field study for the Lake Nipissing watershed lake sturgeon. Fisheries data has been organized into three distinct time periods in order to help determine the current status of Lake Nipissing lake sturgeon: 1) 1991 - 1995 - immediately after the commercial fisheries was closed, 2) 2000 - 2005 - ten years post closure of the commercial fisheries, and 3) 2006 - 2012 - 15-21 years post closure of the commercial fisheries. This MRP has taken the first step towards developing a management strategy by compiling available secondary data for Lake Nipissing lake sturgeon. Based on the data compiled the recovery status of Lake Nipissing lake sturgeon is not improving