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Larval Occurrence <br />One larval sturgeon was collected from the Missouri River near Blair, Nebraska (Omaha <br />Public Power District 1977). Hesse and Mestl (1993) collected two sturgeon larvae from <br />the Missouri River adjacent to Nebraska between 1983 and 1991. In 1994, four larval <br />sturgeon were collected from the upper Missouri River, and in 1995, thirteen sturgeon <br />larvae were collected from the Missouri River. Nine sturgeon larvae have been collected <br />from the lower Yellowstone River (Liebelt 1996). In the cases above the species was <br />undeterminable. Three larval pallid sturgeon were collected in 1998 and 1999 from the <br />lower Missouri River (Krentz 2000). <br />Larval drift netting has been conducted on the lower Platte River by the University of <br />Nebraska - Lincoln, School of Natural Resource Sciences. Larval drift was sampled at <br />four sites (Hwy 81 bridge - Columbus, Hwy 79 bridge -North Bend, Hwy 6 bridge, and the <br />Schilling Wildlife Management Area just above the confluence with the Missouri River) <br />in 1998 and 1999. Sampling was conducted from the beginning of May to the first week <br />in August, and was performed at each site at least once per month at randomly selected <br />times, and every other week for a 24 hour period at the Hwy 6 site. Reade (2000) <br />describes in detail the study objectives, methods, procedures, sampling intensity, and <br />results. Similar sampling was conducted in 2000, and is anticipated to continue in the <br />next several years (E. Peters - University of Nebraska personal communication). <br />To date, four larval specimens of the Scaphirhynchus (sturgeon) genus have been <br />collected in the lower Platte River (Reade 2000): <br />Date and location of the collection of larvae of the genus Scaphirhynchus <br />in the lower Platte River (Reade 2000). <br />Date Location <br />June 1996 Confluence with the Elkhorn River, near Fremont <br />June 24, 1998 U.S. Highway 6 sampling site near Ashland <br />May 25, 1998 U.S. Highway 6 sampling site near Ashland <br />June 24, 1999 U.S. Highway 6 sampling site near Ashland <br />While species of these larvae could not be determined, these collections indicate that <br />sturgeon (pallid and/or shovelnose) are currently spawning in the lower Platte River. <br />Diet <br />Pallid sturgeon is primarily piscivorous (Coker 1930, Carlson et al. 1985, in Duffey et al. <br />1996), with large river cyprinid minnows serving as the primary forage species. Carlson <br />et al. (1985)" reported that both pallid sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon have a high <br />incidence of aquatic invertebrates in their diet. However, the pallid sturgeon had a <br />greater proportion of fish (mostly cyprinids) than did the shovelnose sturgeon. Other <br />investigators have also reported a higher incidence of fish in the diet of the pallid <br />sturgeon than in the diet of the shovelnose sturgeon (Held 1969, FWS 1993). <br />Draft Baseline Report — Pallid Sturgeon Section 8 <br />