Sturgeon conservation: Insights from elasticity analysis

We use elasticity analyses for three sturgeon species, the shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum, Atlantic sturgeon A. oxyrinchus, and white sturgeon A. transmontanus, to calculate the potential to increase population growth rate, lambda, by improving survival and fecundity. Elasticity analysis is a means of assessing changes to lambda resulting from conservation initiatives. The elasticity of lambda to survival has a characteristic profile that includes a plateau of high elasticity values across the young of the year and the juvenile ages. However, survival elasticity falls at maturity and declines rapidly with increasing adult age. Changes to fecundity have relatively little impact; the total of the fecundity elasticities over all ages is equal to the single young-of-the-year survival elasticity. Even though the young-of-the-year survival elasticity is equal to that of any other juvenile age, the overall opportunity for affecting lambda is strongest in the young-of-the-year age-class because of its exceptional potential for increase to survival. The juvenile and adult stages have roughly equal total survival elasticities. These findings are particularly relevant in understanding the contributions of hatcheries, harvest regulations and habitat restoration as strategies for sturgeon conservation. Hatcheries are focused on the young of the year, the demographically most sensitive component of sturgeon life histories, and thus have the potential to make significant increases to lambda if the genetic, evolutionary and ecological impacts of hatcheries can be controlled. Harvest, even at low levels, can have a significant negative impact on lambda when it affects multiple age classes. Managers can use elasticity analysis to calculate the total impact of harvest and to mathematically evaluate the trade-off in exploiting young versus older individuals. Habitat restoration strategies, usually assessed in terms of survivals of the age classes impacted, would also benefit from using elasticity analysis to interpret their contributions to lambda. If restoration efforts target the survival of age classes with high elasticities, significant population growth may be achieved.