Lake Sturgeon Recovery in Missouri

 

Lake Sturgeon Recovery in Missouri

Travis Moore, Fisheries Management Biologist

Missouri Department of Conservation

8965 Highway 36, STE 1, Hannibal, MO  63401

573-248-2530, travis.moore@mdc.mo.gov

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) were nearly extirpated from the Missouri and lower Mississippi rivers in the early 1900’s.  The Missouri Department of Conservation began the effort to restore lake sturgeon to these big rivers in the mid-1980’s via stocking.  As this population has continued to grow, various studies about the fish’s life history in the riverine habitats has led to many interesting discoveries.  This presentation will highlight the lake sturgeon management and research activities of the Missouri Department of Conservation, USGS-Biological Services Division, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and various academic institutions.  This will include summary results of telemetry tracking of all sizes of fish, microchemistry analysis of pectoral fin rays and its correlation to fish movement, genetic analysis of our population, stocking and tagging efforts, effects of contaminants on egg and fry survival, lake sturgeon-related Best Management Practices for construction contractors, discussion of compensatory values of illegally-harvested fish, lake sturgeon captures by the public, and what our future management and research efforts will be.

Key words:  lake sturgeon, Missouri