Despite over 100 years of commercial exploitation for their eggs, there is limited information about the spawning behavior of Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus. Spawning return intervals for males and females have been estimated in the most general of time spans, and researchers have established only in the last 25 years that Atlantic Sturgeon eggs and larvae are freshwater obligates, dispelling the notion that spawning occurred in estuaries. In this study, capture data from 2013 to 2019 for Atlantic Sturgeon were analyzed to estimate spawning return intervals to the York River system, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Then, using the data for female capture, we examined the abiotic influences that appear to drive egg deposition. Both males and females return to spawn at more frequent intervals than has been reported in the literature, with males returning once every 1.13 years and females returning once every 2.19 years. Three females were documented returning to spawn in consecutive years—one of them returning 5 out of 6 years. All of the females that were captured on the spawning grounds were gravid, with eggs at stage 5 or further progressed. In all of the years, 105 fall adult females were caught: 73 were at stage 5, 26 at stage 6, and 6 at stage 7. Of the 26 stage‐6 females, 13 were actively releasing eggs when they were captured. Egg deposition was correlated with photoperiod, water temperature, and a drop in barometric pressure in the 24 h prior to capture. Ten of 13 females that were releasing eggs were caught during day lengths that were within 30 min of the autumn equinox. Females that were releasing eggs were only captured at water temperatures that were between 21.5°C and 25.1°C. This information should provide the foundation of predictive models that allow researchers and managers to understand how this endangered species is likely to respond to climate change.

中文翻译：

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约克河系统中濒临灭绝的大西洋St鱼的成因和发生频率

尽管对其卵进行了超过100年的商业开发，但有关大西洋St鱼产卵行为的信息有限。在最普遍的时间范围内估计了雄性和雌性的产卵返回间隔，研究人员仅在最近的25年中才确定，大西洋St鱼卵和幼虫是淡水专性动物，从而消除了在河口产卵的观念。在这项研究中，分析了2013年至2019年大西洋St鱼的捕获数据，以估计约克河系统（弗吉尼亚州切萨皮克湾的支流）的产卵返回间隔。然后，使用用于女性捕获的数据，我们检查了似乎驱动卵子沉积的非生物影响。雄性和雌性返回产卵的时间间隔都比文献中报道的要频繁，雄性每1.13年返回一次，雌性每2.19年返回一次。据记录，有三只雌性连续几年再次产卵，其中一名在6年中返回5次。在产卵场被捕的所有雌性卵均受孕，卵处于第5阶段或进一步发育。在所有年份中，共捕获了105例秋季成年雌性：73例处于第5阶段，26例处于第6阶段，6例处于第7阶段。在26例6阶段的雌性中，有13例在捕获时积极释放卵。捕获前24小时内，卵的沉积与光周期，水温和气压下降相关。在秋分30分钟以内的一天中，捕获了13个正在释放卵的雌性中的10个。仅在21.5°C和25.1°C之间的水温下捕获释放卵的雌性。