Agencies join forces to aid imperiled pallid sturgeon

The Corps of Engineers and the Conservation Department are improving hatchery facilities and monitoring the Missouri River sturgeon population.

JEFFERSON CITY--While it is widely known that the pallid sturgeon is endangered, many facts concerning the species' population distribution and trends are largely unknown. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Conservation are part of a coalition of conservation agencies working to learn more about this elusive fish.

Several agencies are working together to assess the health of pallid sturgeon populations and a select group of other native Missouri River species. The study area extends from Fort Peck Dam in Montana to the river's mouth near St. Louis.

Other agencies involved in the project are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

These agencies will conduct sampling to learn about sturgeon natural reproduction, to evaluate stocking efforts and to gather information to better determine changes in the ecosystem. This program is one of several efforts funded by the Corps of Engineers to learn about pallid sturgeon habits and habitats.

The Conservation Department's part of the assessment involves sampling fish from a 148-mile stretch of the river from Kansas City to Glasgow. The data being collected will provide information that includes pallid sturgeon survival and growth rates, long-term population abundance trends and habitat usage.

The Conservation Department also does data entry and manages the program's database.

The Conservation Department and the Corps of Engineers also are cooperating to increase Blind Pony Hatchery's capacity to rear pallid sturgeon for Missouri River restoration efforts. Renovations at the Conservation Department hatchery in Saline County are designed to improve the quantity and quality of the water supply and the facility's water delivery system.

Blind Pony Lake, the water source for the hatchery, will be dredged to remove decades of accumulated sediment. The dredging will help reduce the lake's nutrient loads and dissolved oxygen problems, as well as increase the amount of water for sturgeon production.

A new building to house rearing facilities for pallid sturgeon and new, upgraded water lines to deliver quality water to the building will complete the renovations.

The Corps of Engineers also is helping with hatchery improvements at Neosho National Fish Hatchery in Neosho, Mo., Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery in Yankton, S.D., the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in Riverdale, N.D., the Miles City State Fish Hatchery in Miles City, Mont., and the Bozeman Fish Technology Center in Bozeman, Mont.

-Arleasha Mays-
 

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