Habitat Use of Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon Species in the Middle Mississippi River

In recent decades, Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) have experienced population declines within the Mississippi River Basin. Destruction and alteration of habitats is believed to be the primary cause of decline. Beginning in 2013, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated a cooperative project to determine the current status of the Pallid Sturgeon population in the Middle Mississippi River. From November 2013 to May 2014, trotlines were fished in the Mississippi River from the confluence of the Missouri River downstream to the confluence of the Ohio River. During this sampling effort, a total of 37,220 hooks were deployed, capturing at total of 7,968 Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), six genetically identified Pallid Sturgeon and three genetically identified Scaphirhynchus hybrids across a variety of velocities, depths, substrates, and habitats. Using catch records, mean CPUE was calculated for the various environmental categories in attempt to determine environmental associations in Pallid Sturgeon captures in the Middle Mississippi River. Ultimately, this information could be used by fisheries managers to more effectively manage Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon populations as well as guide habitat construction and restoration efforts for the preservation of existing habitats.