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Growth, Bioenergetics and Age

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Sturgeons and Paddlefish of North America

Part of the book series: Fish & Fisheries Series ((FIFI,volume 27))

Conclusion

While science has made extensive progress to enhance our understanding of the growth of sturgeon and paddlefish in North America there is still a great deal that remains unknown. This lack of knowledge, especially that pertaining to wild organisms, is likely to continue as numbers dwindle from human insults on populations and habitat.

The value of sturgeon growth research is being acknowledged, primarily for its economic value in caviar and meat production. In addition, their large sizes, late maturation, and the relatively extensive longevity of these species make them unique organisms for use in growth studies. It has been shown that long lived individuals contain extensive records of environmental change within their calcified tissues and hence serve as monitors of environmental quality. While research into the extraction of this data has only begun, it does present some promising findings.

Finally, the importance of sturgeon growth research may be, as yet, unrealized. Humans share the characteristics of elevated positioning within the food chain, extensive longevity, and late maturation with sturgeon and paddlefish. In addition we also live in a highly variable environment, constantly subjected to insults and injuries from human society. It is possible that the populations of sturgeon and paddlefish in North America may serve as test cases, or ecological mine canaries, for human populations of the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada

    G. T. O. Lebreton & F. W. (Bill) H. Beamish

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Burapha University, Bangsaen, Chonburi, 20131, Thailand

    F. W. (Bill) H. Beamish

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  1. G. T. O. Lebreton
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  2. F. W. (Bill) H. Beamish
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Greg T. O. LeBreton F. William H. Beamish R. Scott McKinley

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Lebreton, G.T.O., Beamish, F.W.(.H. (2004). Growth, Bioenergetics and Age. In: LeBreton, G.T.O., Beamish, F.W.H., McKinley, R.S. (eds) Sturgeons and Paddlefish of North America. Fish & Fisheries Series, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2833-4_10

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