MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: Atlantic sturgeon population ecology in the Cape Fear River, North Carolina

MATOS Project Code: NCATS2021

Data Type: Data

Project Duration: March 2021 - on-going

Project Description: Research is focused on confirming the existence of spawning populations of Atlantic sturgeon, identify unique aspects of spawning behavior and population demographics within NC rivers, estimate passage success rates of adults at the LD-1 fishway located within the Cape Fear River, and quantify juvenile (age-1) recruitment to establish methods to support an index of abundance. The research aims to address the following specific actions within the Carolina DPS necessary to recover Atlantic sturgeon populations which were included in the most recent NOAA Recovery Outline: 1) Improve understanding of population dynamics, population distribution, abundance, trends, and structure through research, monitoring, and modeling; 2) Continue researching fish passage designs that allow Atlantic sturgeon access to historical spawning grounds currently blocked by dams; 3) Develop standardized methods to create reliable abundance indices.

Objectives:

Understand Atlantic sturgeon migratory patterns
Confirm the existence of Atlantic sturgeon spawning populations

Principal Investigator:	Fred Scharf (University of North Carolina at Wilmington)
Email:	scharff@uncw.edu

Point of Contact:	Fred Scharf
Email:	scharff@uncw.edu

UNCW - Cape Fear River Atlantic sturgeon