Sturgeon (Acipenseridae) populations worldwide have
declined from historical levels as a result of a combination of
factors, including overharvest and habitat alteration (Secor
2002; Pitkitch et al. 2005; Nelson et al. 2013). In the eastern
USA, Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus was
listed as “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
(ESA) in 2012. Under the listing, five separate Atlantic Sturgeon
distinct population segments (DPS) were established.
One DPS was categorized as threatened, but the other four
were listed as endangered, including the Carolina and South
Atlantic DPSs (Figure 1). The Carolina DPS includes riverine
populations ranging from the Roanoke River in North Carolina
to the Santee–Cooper system in South Carolina. The South
Atlantic DPS includes rivers from the Ashepoo–Combahee–
Edisto basin in South Carolina to the St. Johns River, Florida.
Given the status of sturgeons, it is important to assess and
monitor the state of populations. Unfortunately, sturgeons
have not been well studied in many Southeastern systems
since the closure of commercial U.S. fisheries in 1998 (ASSRT
2007; Peterson et al. 2008). Reliable estimates of abundanceare necessary for making management decisions and developing
recovery strategies.