Background
Through a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Leetown Science Center, NOAA Fisheries has established the Atlantic Coast Sturgeon Tissue Research Repository, which serves as a centralized archive for tissue samples and genetic material from Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. The research repository serves as an important tool for NOAA Fisheries, which has responsibility for managing these listed sturgeons under the Endangered Species Act. It is used to develop and maintain a “baseline” of markers for each distinct population segment (DPS) and also each population within a DPS, ensure Endangered Species Act Section 9 prohibitions are not violated, understand mixing and offshore movements of sturgeon, and monitor projects to make sure the anticipated incidental take of sturgeons is not exceeded.
All samples were collected and are held in accordance with permits or other appropriate authorization from NOAA Fisheries. Samples are deposited into the archive from many sources, and may also be requested by others for use in bona fide research.
Sample Submission Protocol
To ensure safe and standardized submission of samples, please review the following protocol:
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Place fin clips in small screw top vials (2 ml screw top plastic vials are preferred) with preservative. Avoid using glass vials.
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Label each vial with fish’s unique ID number.
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RNAlater™ is the preferred preservative and is not hazardous. Ninety-five percent absolute ETOH (un-denatured) is an accepted alternative. Note that ETOH is a Class 3 Hazardous Material due to its flammable nature.
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If non-screw top vials are used, seal individual vials with leak proof positive measure (e.g., tape).
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Package vials together (e.g., in one box) with an absorbent material within a double-sealed container (e.g., zip lock baggie).
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If using excepted quantities of ETOH, follow DOT and IATA packaging regulations, including affixing ETOH warning label to air package. Excepted quantities of ETOH are 30 mL per inner package and 1 L for the total package.
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Submit sample metadata to rjohnson1@usgs.gov. Electronic metadata must be provided in order to properly identify and archive samples. Please see the NOAA Sturgeon Template submission form for further guidance.
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Mail samples to:
Robin Johnson
U.S. Geological Survey
Leetown Science Center
Aquatic Ecology Branch
11649 Leetown Road
Kearneysville, WV 25430
Requesting Tissue Samples
Tissue samples may be requested for use in bona fide research. To request tissue samples, contact USGS (Robin Johnson, rjohnson1@usgs.gov) and NOAA Fisheries (Lynn Lankshear, Lynn.Lankshear@noaa.gov) with 1) the list of samples to be subsampled and 2) the purpose of the research.
Before permission for use of any samples is granted, NOAA Fisheries will contact the collector of record to ensure there are no objections and that he/she is aware of the use of the samples.
If use of the samples is approved by both NOAA Fisheries and the collector of record, the requester will be asked to provide a UPS or a FedEx account number to USGS to cover the cost of shipping the samples. If a large number of samples is being requested or multiple requests are made by the same individual, the requester may also be required to provide necessary supplies in order to fulfill the requests. Appropriate credit should be given to the collector of record should publications result. Note: NOAA Fisheries retains the discretion to deny requests (e.g., based on other research priorities, competing demands for the same samples).
Additional Resources
Right whale #3853 swimming north offshore of South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2011 with a series of fresh propeller wounds running across its back. The whale was observed 5 days previously offshore of Georgia without propeller wounds. It is unknown whether the whale survived its wounds or not, as it has not been re-sighted since. Vessel collisions are a leading cause of right whale mortality. Credit: EcoHealth Alliance (NOAA permit #594-1759).
North Atlantic right whale Catalog #3560 ‘Snow Cone’ sighted December 2, 2021 entangled and with a new calf. Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission taken under NOAA permit 20556.
Loggerhead turtle. Credit: T. Moore (CC0 1.0)
North Pacific right whale #87 also known as “Smudgy” interacts with a log floating on the water. There are only around 30 individuals in the eastern population, so to spot a North Pacific right whale is rare and to see one interacting with a log in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. NOAA Fisheries permit 782-1719.