Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Although records suggest that sturgeon have been important to humans for 1000's of years, we still know little of the history of their fisheries, importance and basic ecology. Today, sturgeons are persecuted throughout most of their ranges. Production of sturgeon products through aquaculture may provide an opportunity to protect the remaining stocks, while providing economic growth in Canada and around the world. Currently, aquaculture production of caviar exceeds wild harvest. However, sale of illegally caught caviar that has been labeled as an aquaculture product continues to damage wild stocks and affect the growth of the sturgeon aquaculture industry. There needs to be a set of tools developed which will allow enforcement groups within nation states to certify the origin of caviar and other sturgeon products. Here, we propose a series of experiments and activities using advanced stable isotope analyses to examine the historical and current uses of sturgeons. First, we plan to develop the isotopic signatures of sturgeon products from aquaculture and those from the wild. We intend this information to be used by industry and government to develop a sturgeon product registry to provide certification of authenticity for aquaculture derived products for export and import. This will greatly increase both consumer confidence and therefore greater opportunities for product export. The use of isotope analysis of wild fish is also of importance to managing the remaining stocks of sturgeon, as little information about their distribution, life history and habitat use is known. Remains of sturgeons have been found in a number of First Peoples' archaeological sites in Canada. The integration of advanced isotopic elemental analysis with information about sturgeon ecology and archaeological signatures for paleodiet will allow First Peoples to learn more about the nature of their subsistence economy and commerce during the last 4000 years. This project will provide a comprehensive approach to sturgeon ecology and aquaculture that will ensure that Canada remains a leader in aquaculture, conservation, and species management. In addition, the isotope data gleaned from these sturgeon remains will also provide a rare opportunity to examine climate change over the last 4000 years.