US Navy
Marine Species Monitoring
Acoustic Tagging of Green Sturgeon to Evaluate Habitat Use Along the Washington Coast
Introduction & Objectives
The southern distinct population segment (DPS) of the green sturgeon is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The green sturgeon’s occurrence and habitat use, particularly in the ocean, is not well known. Therefore it is currently unknown if the green sturgeon occurs and uses areas where the Navy conducts training and testing activities. The objectives of this project are to use acoustic telemetry in order to determine 1) the location of green sturgeon detections within Washington, 2) the season for specific habitat use (e.g., estuaries; coastal waters), 3) the frequency an animal moves between coastal and estuarine waters, and 4) the range of each tagged animal.
Technical Approach
Fish sampling and tagging effort will occur in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. Four acoustic telemetry receivers compatible with the existing acoustic receiver array on the Washington coast will be deployed and checked periodically for green sturgeon tag detections. Green sturgeon will be tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder and acoustic pinger tags. A small tissue sample will be collected for genetic analysis.
Progress & Results
In total, 332 green sturgeon were handled in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, Washington in 2020 2021, and 2023. In that time, 174 green sturgeon were implanted with VEMCO 69-kHz V16 acoustic transmitters, 172 of which were also newly tagged with Biomark 12mm Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags. Acoustic data indicates that some green sturgeon can be detected on the offshore acoustic receiver array year-round, with peak detections occurring around May. Within the NWTT study area, there were no significant differences in residence time between distinct population segments (DPSs) from 2019–2024; however inconsistent and limited array coverage within the NWTT study area limit further analysis within this area.
Project Information
Location: Washington (Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay)
Timeline: 2020-2026
Funding: FY20 $158k, FY23 $33k
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator, Laura Heironimus, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Project Manager, Christiana Salles, NAVFAC Southwest
Program Manager, Andrea Balla-Holden, Pacific Fleet Environmental Readiness Division
Reports & Data
Sturza et al. 2025 - Tagging Green Sturgeon Washington Coast
Heironimus et al. 2024. - Tagging Green Sturgeon Along Washington Coast
Heironimus et al. 2023. Tagging_Green_Sturgeon_Washington_Coast
Heironimus et al. 2022. Tagging_Green_Sturgeon_Washington_Coast
Heironimus et al. 2021. Tagging Green Sturgeon Along Washington Coast
Associated Projects
Occurrence of Green Sturgeon in Inland Waters (historical tag analysis)
