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Do sturgeon limit burrowing shrimp populations in Pacific Northwest Estuaries?

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Abstract

Green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, and white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, are frequent inhabitants of coastal estuaries from northern California, USA to British Columbia, Canada. An analysis of stomach contents from 95 green sturgeon and six white sturgeon commercially landed in Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, and the Columbia River estuary during 2000–2005 revealed that 17–97% had empty stomachs, but those fish with items in their guts fed predominantly on benthic prey items and fish. Burrowing thalassinid shrimp (mostly Neotrypaea californiensis) were important food items for both white and especially for green sturgeon taken in Willapa Bay, Washington during summer 2003, where they represented 51% of the biomass ingested (84.9% IRI). Small pits observed in intertidal areas dominated by these shrimp, are likely made by these sturgeon and we present evidence from exclusion studies and field observation that the predator making the pits can have a significant cumulative negative effect on burrowing shrimp density. These burrowing shrimp present a threat to the aquaculture industry in Washington State due to their ability to de-stabilize the substrate on which shellfish are grown. Despite an active burrowing shrimp control program in these estuaries, it seems unlikely that current burrowing shrimp abundance and availability as food is a limiting factor for threatened green sturgeon stocks. However, these large predators may have performed an important top down control function on shrimp populations in the past when they were more abundant.

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Acknowledgements

We thank a number of people who helped sample both sturgeon and burrowing shrimp in the field including Matt Howell, Steve West, Eric Evans, Cameron Black, Roxanne Barker, Roy Hildenbrand, Lee McCoy, Marla Koberstein and Beth Wheat. Special thanks to Alan Trimble for conceptualizing the field enclosures and pit sampling efforts and his assistance conducting these efforts in the field. Funding for this project was provided by WDFW through the US Fish and Wildlife Service State Wildlife Grant Program (FFY2002-T-1-4), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES #C031546), and the University of Washington (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and proviso funds from the Washington State Legislature). We also thank Bob Emmett (NOAA), Dena Gadomsky (USGS), Mike Parsley (USGS), Steve West (WDFW) and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2030 S.E. Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR, 97365, USA

    Brett R. Dumbauld

  2. Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 91985, USA

    David L. Holden

  3. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2108 Grand Boulevard, Vancouver, WA, 98661, USA

    Olaf P. Langness

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  1. Brett R. Dumbauld
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Correspondence to Brett R. Dumbauld.

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Dumbauld, B.R., Holden, D.L. & Langness, O.P. Do sturgeon limit burrowing shrimp populations in Pacific Northwest Estuaries?. Environ Biol Fish 83, 283–296 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-008-9333-y

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