USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

Search fish passage bibliography

Bemis, W. E., V. J. Birstein and J. R. Waldman (1997). Sturgeon biodiversity and conservation: An introduction. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 48:13-14.

This volume includes many of the papers presented at the international Conference on Sturgeon Biodiversity and Conservation which took place at The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, on 28-30 July 1994. The main goal of the conference was to attract attention to sturgeons and paddlefishes, still the most speciose group of 'living fossil' fishes, but now fast disappearing from our planet (Birstein 1993, Bemis and Findeis 1994, Waldman 1995). Some presentations at the conference described basic aspects of acipenseriform biology, including evolution, genetics, and life cycles. Others focused on the contemporary status of a particular species or a few species inhabiting the same basin or region; most of these contributions also addressed ongoing conservation efforts. Still other speakers examined current controversies at the interface between science and society, bringing information from a variety of sources to enrich our meeting. These three approaches are reflected by the three part organization of this volume: part 1, Diversity and evolution; Part 2, Biology and status reports; and Part 3, Controversies, conservation and summary. We hope that the included papers offer a broad perspective about contemporary work on the phylogeny of Acipenseriformes, as well as a review of the worldwide status of almost all of the species constituting this order.