River Relief

March 17, 2011

Volunteer to Help Recover Pallid Sturgeon!

A major part of the recovery program for the endangered pallid sturgeon is stocking live fish. The first step in this process is to find breeding age pallid sturgeon. Pallid sturgeon broodstock collection is a multi-agency project, and your help is needed to make it happen.

In Missouri, there are two crews collecting pallid sturgeon this spring, Missouri Dept. of Conservation and US Fish & Wildlife Service, and they've asked us to help spread the word for volunteers.

This is more than a boat ride - it's real work, and not for the squeamish. It involves baiting hundreds of hooks and carefully removing hundreds of fish from hooks. But you have the opportunity to work with the best big river biologists in the state...and to help an endangered species.

You'll want to bring your own rain gear. Even if it's not raining, you'll appreciate the protection from fish slime and river water. Bring your own lunch, water, etc. Scheduling is subject to changes based on river levels and weather. Read the fliers for more details.

Here's the skinny on the two crews sampling in Missouri this spring, with links for more info:

Crew #1: US Fish & Wildlife Service - Columbia Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office

These folks are sampling from March 29 to May 7th. This crew is working on the Missouri River from Glasgow to the mouth of the Osage River (includes Boonville, Columbia and Jefferson City areas). Please check out the flier for details.

Contact: Wyatt Doyle by email or (573) 234‐2132 x 111

Crew #2: Missouri Dept. of Conservation Fisheries - Chillicothe Office

This crew is sampling from April 4 - 22. They are covering a big stretch of the Missouri River - from the northern Missouri border to Glasgow (includes St. Joseph and Kansas City areas). Please check out the flier for details.

Contacts: Kyle Winders by email or (660)646‐6122 ext. 247
OR
Darby Niswonger by email or (660)646-6122 ext. 248

US Fish & Wildlife crews working at the mouth of the Osage River, a hotspot for sturgeon of all species. The fish being tossed is the common shovelnose sturgeon - most of the fish caught looking for pallid sturgeon are shovelnose. photo by Steve Schnarr