Level 4
Spawning of the Atlantic Sturgeon
Changes in water quality parameters have a big impact on organisms living in estuaries along the Atlantic coast. The Atlantic sturgeon is a large fish that depends on swiftly flowing estuaries with rough bottoms in which to feed and spawn. Atlantic sturgeon are euryhaline, meaning they do not spend a large part of their life in estuaries, but migrate between the ocean and fresh water. In this activity, the sturgeon are migratory fish. They move up and down the Atlantic coast, feeling most comfortable in water with a temperature between 2 and 25 °C. The Atlantic sturgeon's range extends from the Hamilton River in Labrador to southeastern Florida. In actuality, little is known about the Atlantic sturgeon’s migratory patterns.
At this level, you will try to answer a research question: What water quality factors influence the Atlantic sturgeon to enter and leave estuaries during their yearly migration? To accomplish this task, you must collect real water quality data along the Atlantic coast to determine if the water conditions can support spawning sturgeons.
