Sturgeon and Paddlefish Migration: Evidence to Support the Need for Inter-Jurisdictional Management

There are four sturgeon and paddlefish 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 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 home range and broad scale movement patterns of the above mentioned species in the Upper Mississippi River using telemetry.  We determined all four species were capable of long-range movements, and that these movements were cued by the changing river stages and water temperature.  Ultimately, our data suggest that sturgeon and paddlefish movement patterns are highly variable, with fish moving freely among rivers (Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Des Moines) across many political boundaries and encompassing multiple state management agencies (Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas).  In order to effectively manage or restore these highly mobile fish populations, inter-jurisdictional collaboration will be necessary.