Where do juvenile White Sturgeon settle after emerging from streams, based on their salinity tolerance?

Answer

The freshwater region of the estuary, once they begin feeding freely after being swept downstream.

Habitat distribution within the estuary system shows a strong correlation with the age and salinity tolerance of the White Sturgeon cohorts. Newly hatched larval sturgeon are initially swept downstream while still reliant on their yolk sac for sustenance. Once they transition and begin feeding externally, they must settle in the freshwater portion of the estuary to survive this critical developmental phase. As these juveniles mature further, they then populate the upstream or freshwater end of the estuarine system. Conversely, the older, more mature fish adapt to higher salinity and migrate toward the ocean side to utilize the brackish water zones for feeding and achieving full growth.

Where do juvenile White Sturgeon settle after emerging from streams, based on their salinity tolerance?

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