Understanding Pallid Sturgeon Population Dynamics and Stressors in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers (Symposium)

Thursday, August 25, 2016: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Chicago A (Sheraton at Crown Center)
Pallid sturgeon populations occupy some 4,500 miles of river in the Missouri and Mississippi river basins and have been subjected to a broad range of changes during the last century.  Populations in the Missouri and middle Mississippi rivers are imperiled and characterized by either complete recruitment failure or very low levels that limit population growth (bottleneck), while those in the lower Mississippi River are more stable.  Where populations are declining, the recruitment bottleneck likely occurs at some point between spawning and when free embryos settle from the drift and begin feeding.  Understanding the mechanisms related to early-life survival and identifying the actions necessary for removing impediments to recruitment is paramount in establishing self-sustaining populations range-wide.  This symposium will provide a forum to discuss hypotheses related to poor survival or recruitment of populations, management actions that seek to improve habitat conditions for spawning or early-life history stages, and other information that can be used to improve the effectiveness of restorative efforts (e.g., genetics, contaminants, habitat, energetics, etc.) for pallid sturgeon populations.  Objectives of this symposium include discussion of factors that influence reproductive success or the survival of early life stages, evaluating the effectiveness (potential or observed) of management actions or restoration efforts, and the influence of metapopulation dynamics and genetics on population viability.
Moderators:
Tim L. Welker, Todd Gemeinhardt, Joseph Bonneau and George A. Williams
Chairs:
Nathan Gosch and Tim L. Welker
Organizers:
Nathan Gosch and Tim L. Welker
8:00 AM
Assessment of Age-0 Sturgeon Catch and Habitat Use from Five Reaches in the Lower Missouri River Nathan Gosch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Todd Gemeinhardt, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ; Marcus Miller, United States Army Corp of Engineers; Wesley Bouska, DLH Corporation; Joseph Bonneau, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
8:20 AM
Effect of Shallow-Water Habitat Quantity on Young-of-Year Sturgeon Prey Use and Condition Along a Longitudinal Gradient Anthony Civiello, Oklahoma State University; James Long, U.S. Geological Survey
8:40 AM
Drift Initiation and Dynamics of Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon in the Lower Missouri River Kimberly A. Chojnacki, U.S. Geological Survey; Aaron J. DeLonay, U.S. Geological Survey; David K. Combs, U.S. Geological Survey; Edward Bulliner, U.S. Geological Survey; Susannah O. Erwin, U.S. Geological Survey; Edward Heist, Southern Illinois University
9:00 AM
Interception Habitat for Pallid Sturgeon in the Upper Channelized Missouri River Jerrod Hall, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Gerald E. Mestl, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
9:20 AM
Thursday Morning Break
9:40 AM
Energetic Costs Associated with Habitat Use during Early Life Influence Growth Rate Potential of Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon Anthony P. Porreca, Southern Illinois University; William D. Hintz, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; David P. Coulter, Southern Illinois University; James E. Garvey, Southern Illinois University
10:00 AM
Physical Factors Affecting Drift of Pallid Sturgeon Free Embryos in the Missouri River Basin Susannah O. Erwin, U.S. Geological Survey; Robert B. Jacobson, U.S. Geological Survey; Edward Bulliner, U.S. Geological Survey; Caroline M. Elliott, U.S. Geological Survey; Aaron J. DeLonay, U.S. Geological Survey; Kimberly A. Chojnacki, U.S. Geological Survey; Patrick J. Braaten, U.S. Geological Survey
10:20 AM
River Analyzer: A New Three-Dimensional Hydro-Acoustic River Mapping Tool to Estimate Drift Rates for Larval Pallid Sturgeon over Distances of 100's of Kilometers Brian Marotz, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; Mark Lorang, University of Montana, Flathead Lake Biological Station
10:40 AM
Development and Application of a Spatially Explicit Growth Model for Age-0 Scaphirhynchus Spp David Deslauriers, University of Manitoba; Laura Heironimus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Steven R. Chipps, U. S. Geological Survey, South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
11:20 AM
Missouri River Pallid Sturgeon Effects Analysis Robert B. Jacobson, U.S. Geological Survey; Michael Colvin, Mississippi State University; Daniel James, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Landon Pierce, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Michael Randall, U.S. Geological Survey; Tim L. Welker, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District
11:40 AM
Thursday Lunch Break
1:00 PM
Model Development to Support Pallid Sturgeon Recovery Michael Colvin, Mississippi State University; Tim L. Welker, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; Landon Pierce, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Michael Randall, U.S. Geological Survey; Robert B. Jacobson, U.S. Geological Survey
1:20 PM
"Examination of Pallid Sturgeon Life-History Characteristics throughout the Missouri River Basin" Martin Hamel, University of Nebraska - Lincoln; Jonathan Spurgeon, University of Nebraska - Lincoln; Kirk Steffensen, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Mark A. Pegg, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
1:40 PM
"Environmental Life History of Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon in the Lower Missouri and Middle Mississippi Rivers" Seth Love, Southeast Missouri State University; Quinton Phelps, Missouri Department of Conservation; Sara Tripp, Missouri Department of Conservation; Dave Herzog, Missouri Department of Conservation
2:00 PM
From Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon to Chubs to Invertebrates: A Lower Missouri River Community Model for Assessing Predation, Competition, and Resource Effects on Population Dynamics Mark L. Wildhaber, U.S. Geological Survey; Janice Albers, U.S. Geological Survey; Nicholas Green, U.S. Geological Survey
2:20 PM
Lower Missouri River Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon Population Viability Models with Hierarchical Partitioned Uncertainty Nicholas S. Green, U.S. Geological Survey; Mark L. Wildhaber, U.S. Geological Survey; Janice L. Albers, U.S. Geological Survey
2:40 PM
Pallid Sturgeon Spawning Habitat on the Lower Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers Caroline M. Elliott, U.S. Geological Survey; Patrick J. Braaten, U.S. Geological Survey; Aaron J. DeLonay, U.S. Geological Survey; Robert B. Jacobson, U.S. Geological Survey; Edward Bulliner, U.S. Geological Survey; Kimberly A. Chojnacki, U.S. Geological Survey; Gerald E. Mestl, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
3:00 PM
Thursday Afternoon Break
3:20 PM
Spawning, Early Life Stage Dispersal, and Recruitment Deficiency of Wild Pallid Sturgeon in the Fragmented Upper Missouri River Basin Patrick J. Braaten, U.S. Geological Survey; David B. Fuller, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; Aaron J. DeLonay, U.S. Geological Survey; Mathew P. Rugg, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Caroline M. Elliott, U.S. Geological Survey; Tyler M. Haddix, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; Robert B. Jacobson, U.S. Geological Survey
3:40 PM
Evidence for Altered and Insufficient Spawning As a Causative Factor in the Decline of Pallid Sturgeon and As an Impediment to Recovery Aaron J. DeLonay, U.S. Geological Survey; Kimberly A. Chojnacki, U.S. Geological Survey; Patrick J. Braaten, U.S. Geological Survey; Caroline M. Elliott, U.S. Geological Survey; Susannah O. Erwin, U.S. Geological Survey; Mathew P. Rugg, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Gerald E. Mestl, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Edward Heist, Southern Illinois University
4:00 PM
Survival, Growth and Movement of Hatchery-Reared Pallid Sturgeon Post-Stocking Kirk Steffensen, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
4:20 PM
Emigration of Hatchery-Reared Pallid Sturgeon through Gavins Point Dam Landon Pierce, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Daniel James, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Dane Shuman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Kirk Steffensen, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Ryan Wilson, USFWS Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office; Adam McDaniel, Missouri Department of Conservation; Kyle Winders, Missouri Department of Conservation
4:40 PM
Influences of Environmental Conditions on Distance Moved By Shovelnose Sturgeon in the Lower Mississippi River Dylan A. Hann, Mississippi State University; Hal Schramm, U.S. Geological Survey
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