Our abundance modeling provided useful information
about the status of sturgeon within our sampled rivers systems.
We were able to produce estimates of sturgeon populations in
river systems using a fraction of the effort of traditional netting
programs and without having to handle our target species.
Covariates that could influence abundance can also be incorporated
into all models (Kery and Schaub 2012). Abundance
estimates from side-scan surveys can be used in conjunction
with other data sources, such as genetic abundance estimates
or traditional mark–recapture tagging studies to improve population
abundance estimates. Side-scan sonar can provide absolute
abundance estimates in discrete areas while tagging
(especially with sonic tags) could provide the information
needed for expanding to systemwide estimates. Netting would
also allow for information to be collected on smaller individuals
and species composition. Side-scan sonar can also provide
habitat information about sturgeon locations and identify
potential areas where netting operations could be performed
safely.