A second year of Sturgeon Derby monitoring will be conducted in collaboration with the 32nd annual Original Sturgeon Derby held by the Foundation Sportsman’s Club out of Bay Point, CA. The sturgeon derby and tissue sampling will occur on February 67, 2016. Tissue samples from female white sturgeon will be collected, and samples from up to fifteen sturgeon will be analyzed.

The Derby offers an opportunity to collect a variety of tissue samples from fish caught for the competition that are otherwise unavailable. This will allow for comparison between selenium concentrations measured in tissues that are easy to obtain nonlethally (muscle plugs, fin rays) and those that are not, but may be of greater interest toxicologically (ovaries, liver) or analyzed for microchemistry (otoliths, for comparison with fin rays). If approved, additional collection of muscle fillet samples will also contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between muscle fillet and muscle plug selenium concentrations. Analysis of tissue samples for stable isotopes will also provide information on diet and habitat use by the sturgeon. Otolith microchemistry will be conducted to support development of a method for fin rays, which can be collected from sturgeon nonlethally during future monitoring efforts.

This study will be performed as a collaboration between SFEI (with RMP funding), USFWS, USGS, UC Davis, and Stantec. The purpose of this Sampling and Analysis Plan is to outline the details for how the samples will be collected, handled, and analyzed by the various parties involved with the study. Additional pathology samples taken by USFWS will not be included in this document, except where needed to inform the collection of other samples.