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<br />Missouri, d~Hning as one proceeded downriver
<br />(Pflieger 1975). It occUlTed in schools in association
<br />with western silvery minnows, silver chubs, and
<br />flathead chubs (Pflieger 1975).
<br />Plains minnows were abundant in the shallow,
<br />organic backwaters of the Missouri River (Cross
<br />1967), and were abundant in the most turbid of the
<br />northern plains streams, including the Missouri
<br />River (Bailey and Allum 1962). Pflieger and Grace
<br />(1987) reported that western silvery minnows,
<br />plains minnows, and chubs composed 95.4% of all
<br />small fish in 1940-45, with plains minnows and
<br />flathead chubs by far the most numerous. They also
<br />reported a decline in the abundance of plains min-
<br />nows and western silvery minnows from 1940 to
<br />1983.
<br />During 1971-75, 4,589 plains minnows and sil-
<br />very minnows were seined from the channelized
<br />Missouri in eastern Nebraska, among 16,384 small
<br />fish (Hesse and Wallace 1976). They represented
<br />28% of all small fish and ranked first in percent
<br />composition (Table 1). By 1986-90 only 102 (1.6%)
<br />were colleeted among 6,217 small fish seined in the
<br />same reach. Most plains minnows and silvery min-
<br />nows, during 1971-74, were collected in southeast
<br />Nebraska stations on the Missouri River, where
<br />they represented an average of 38% of nearly
<br />12,000 small fish collected (Hesse and Wallace
<br />1976). During 1986-90 they were just 11.4% of all
<br />small fish captured at the same locations.
<br />
<br />Missouri River Chubs and Minnows in
<br />Other Nebraska Streams
<br />
<br />The Nebraska Department of Environmental
<br />Quality collected over 70,000 small fish in 350
<br />stream sites across Nebraska (excluding the Mis-
<br />souri River) during 1984-88 (Bazata 1991): Flat-
<br />head chubs (396 specimens) composed only 0.6% by
<br />composition and were collected. in only 8.8% of the
<br />streams sampled.. Johnson (1942) reported that this
<br />species was found in all drainages in Nebraska
<br />except the Big Blue and Little Blue rivers. Peters
<br />et al. (1989) collected them in only 4% of 874 elee-
<br />trofishing grids in the lower Platte River.
<br />The Nebraska Department of Environmental
<br />Quality did not collect sturgeon chubs or sicldefin
<br />chubs anywhere in Nebraska s12-eams, and Peters
<br />et a1. (1989) collected one sturgeon chub and no
<br />sicklefin chubs from the lower Platte River. The
<br />Nebraska Deparlment of Environmental Quality
<br />collected 4 (0.006% composition, O.60AI of streams)
<br />silver chubs, 12 (O.020AI composition, 0.9% of
<br />
<br />
<br />LARRY W. HEsSE ET AI.. 331
<br />
<br />streams) speckled chubs, 208 (0.3% composition,
<br />2% of streams) plains minnows, and 182 (0.3%
<br />composition, 5.4% of streams) western silvery min-
<br />nows (Bazata 1991). Peters et al. (1989) collected
<br />only 8 silver chubs (0.9% of 874 grids), 28 speckled
<br />chubs (3% of 874 grids), 473 plains minnows (9% of
<br />874 grids), and 180 western silvery minnows (3'A1 of
<br />874 grids) from. the lower Platte River.
<br />The lower Niobrara River was sampled. with
<br />primacord in 1976-78 (Hesse et al. 1979; Newcomb
<br />et al. 1981); 3,083 (15.3'A1 composition) flathead
<br />chubs, 20 (0.1% composition) silver chubs, and 40
<br />(0.2%) plains minnows were collected. This survey
<br />was repeated in 1991; 104 (12.5% composition)
<br />flathead chubs and no silver chubs or plains min-
<br />nows were collected.. Catch rate may be a better
<br />indicator of population density with an explosive
<br />because the explosive effort was easily duplicated,
<br />and fish response to primacord is independent of
<br />other factors (e.g., water quality). Flathead chubs
<br />were collected at the rate of 31 fish per blast in
<br />1976-78 but only 5 fish per blast in 1991.
<br />On the basis of these data we recommend that
<br />sturgeon chubs, sicklefin chubs, flathead Chubs,
<br />silver chubs, speckled. chubs, plains minnows, and
<br />western silvery minnows be listed as endangered
<br />in Nebraska.
<br />
<br />Burbot
<br />
<br />Bailey and Allum (1962) reported that burbot
<br />(Lota Iota) were found east of the Black Hills in the
<br />Cheyenne River system and were common in the
<br />Missouri River in South Dakota. Johnson (1942)
<br />collected one from. the Niobrara River in Nebraska
<br />and reported them in the Platte River; however, he
<br />suggested their range was restricted. tA:> the Mis-
<br />souri River and lower ends of large tributaries.
<br />Burbot were rare in Missouri's portion of the Mis-
<br />souri River (Pflieger 1975). Cross (1967) considered
<br />burbot primarily residents of the Missouri River
<br />mainstem; however, records exist of burbot col-
<br />lected from the Kansas River.
<br />Burbot were commonly harvested by sport fish-
<br />ers in the tailwater of Gavins Point Dam. for several
<br />years after it was closed in July 1955. 0IT (1958,
<br />1962) reported 510 (5.1% composition) burbot
<br />caught there in 1956, 4,780 (2%) in 1958, 0 in 1961
<br />(out of an estimated harvest of 539,945), and 0 in
<br />1962 (out of 710,389; Table 2). Commercial fishers
<br />harvested 1,500 kg ofburbot from. Lake Sakakawea
<br />(Garrison Dam on the mainstem Missouri River in
<br />North Dakota) in 1960, none from 1961 to 1974,
<br />
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