Volume 145, Issue 2 p. 386-399
Article

Status and Habitat Use of Scaphirhynchus Sturgeons in an Important Fluvial Corridor: Implications for River Habitat Enhancement

William D. Hintz

Corresponding Author

William D. Hintz

Department of Zoology, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901 USA

Present address: Darrin Fresh Water Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 Eighth Street, Troy, New York 12180-3590, USA.

Corresponding author: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
David C. Glover

David C. Glover

Department of Zoology, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901 USA

Present address: Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156, USA.

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James E. Garvey

James E. Garvey

Department of Zoology, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901 USA

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K. Jack Killgore

K. Jack Killgore

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment Station, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 39180 USA

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David P. Herzog

David P. Herzog

Open Rivers and Wetlands Field Station, Missouri Department of Conservation, 3815 East Jackson Boulevard, Jackson, Missouri, 63755 USA

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Timothy W. Spier

Timothy W. Spier

Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, 102 Curris Center, Murray, Kentucky, 42071 USA

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Robert E. Colombo

Robert E. Colombo

Department of Biology, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, Illinois, 61920 USA

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Robert A. Hrabik

Robert A. Hrabik

Open Rivers and Wetlands Field Station, Missouri Department of Conservation, 3815 East Jackson Boulevard, Jackson, Missouri, 63755 USA

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First published: 10 March 2016
Citations: 13

Abstract

In the central United States, recovery efforts for populations of the federally endangered Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus have been ongoing since its listing in 1990. Its congener, the Shovelnose Sturgeon S. platorynchus, has also recently been listed as threatened where it overlaps with Pallid Sturgeon. The status of both species in the Mississippi River is unknown and so are habitat enhancement priorities that would benefit their recovery. Using field data collected from 2002 through 2005, we (1) estimated the adult population size of both species using mark–recapture methods and (2) quantified habitat use of these sturgeons with multiple gears to elucidate habitat enhancement priorities in the middle Mississippi River—an important fluvial corridor that connects the upper Mississippi River and Missouri River basins with the lower Mississippi River basin. Population size was estimated to be 1,516 (95% CI = 710–3,463) Pallid Sturgeon (five individuals per river kilometer [rkm]) and 82,336 (95% CI = 59,438–114,585) Shovelnose Sturgeon (266 individuals/rkm). Our population estimate showed a low relative abundance of Pallid Sturgeon in this corridor. However, the population estimate suggests Pallid Sturgeon abundance has increased since its listing in 1990. Shovelnose Sturgeon were more abundant than Pallid Sturgeon, but whether the Shovelnose Sturgeon population is increasing, decreasing, or stable remains unknown. Among 10 habitat types, both species were most frequent at the downstream ends of alluvial islands. Pallid and Shovelnose sturgeons were restricted to flow rates < 1.0 m/s, and their abundance was greatest in depths ranging from 4.5 to 14 m. We suggest alluvial island enhancement may facilitate sturgeon recovery in the middle Mississippi River.

Received February 24, 2014; accepted December 2, 2015