Movement Patterns of Several Acipenser Species in the Upper Mississippi River

There are four Acipenser species in the Upper Mississippi River, two are commercially and recreationally important (i.e., paddlefish and shovelnose sturgeon) and the other two are considered federally or state endangered (i.e. pallid sturgeon and lake sturgeon).  Before management strategies can be implemented to achieve specific goals (e.g., fishery management or restoration), quantifying spatial and temporal movement patterns and habitat use is necessary to determine the appropriate spatial scale for management.  However, limited information regarding this topic exists because of the inherent difficulties associated with these large complex aquatic systems.  Because of this lack of information, we investigated broad scale movement patterns of the above mentioned species in the Upper Mississippi River using telemetry.  Over the course of our five year evaluation, we have observed species-specific movement patterns and how these trends are affected by factors such as water level, season, proximity to necessary habitats, and lock and dam management.  Ultimately, our data suggest that Acipenser movement patterns are highly variable with fish moving freely among rivers, across many political boundaries and encompassing multiple state management agencies.  In order to effectively manage or restore these highly mobile fish populations, inter-jurisdictional collaboration will be necessary.