Pallid Sturgeon and the Role of the Proposed Program

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Pallid Sturgeon Technical Questions Basic Conclusion: There is no clear scientific evidence that shows the Platte River does or ever has been a significant contributor to the survival, reproduction or mortality of pallid sturgeon. Issue: Despite the fact the USFWS identifies the lower Platte River as one of the least altered tributaries of the lower Missouri River, and despite the fact that no empirical evidence collected to date identifies the Platte River as playing a significant part in the life cycle of pallid sturgeon, water developments 650 miles upstream on tributaries of the Platte have been identified as causing jeopardy to the existence of the pallid sturgeon. Recommendation: That the Program support reasonable on -going studies of pallid sturgeon in areas of known pallid sturgeon occurrence. At present the entire research and monitoring budget proposed by the Tech Committee is approximately $17 million dollars. Of that, over nine million is earmarked for monitoring and research on river processes, 2.25 million for monitoring and research on whooping cranes and 1.3 million for tern and plovers. Within that budget $1.2 million is set aside for work on pallid sturgeon. That seems to be an appropriate amount. A $4 million dollar research and monitoring effort as proposed by the FWS places the pallid sturgeon as the top priority species for monitoring and research for the program. This despite the fact that to date no measured, empirical evidence exists to show that the pallid sturgeon makes significant use of the Platte River. The following information suggest that water development on Platte River tributaries would not have had a negative effect in the past or a potential effect on the future existence of this species in the lower Platte River and/or Missouri River: • Baseline documents shows two expert identified pallid sturgeon in the Platte River prior to present on- going studies, all the rest of the occurrences from the Platte documented in the Nebraska Game and Parks database are based on after the fact angler descriptions via telephone interviews. • The strong similarities in physical appearance of the pallid and shovelnose sturgeon make it difficult to distinguish the two as separate species, yet NG &PC accepted fishermen descriptions as evidence of pallid occurrences. There is some question as to the genetic differences between the species. • The mouth of the Missouri does not indicate use of the Platte, it may indicate the confluence has desirable conditions but the Missouri would contribute significantly to what exists in this area. • The range described in the baseline indicates the Platte would be an insignificant part of the species range (< 1%) • Other studies Bailey and Cross (1954) does not even list the Platte River as part of the range. • 872 records prior to 1998, 70 % from Missouri, 14% Atchafalaya, 9% Yellowstone, 5% Mississippi, 2% combined St. Francis, Ohio, Kansas, Big Sunflower and Platte (Steve Kentz, USFWS 2000) • Missouri River Biological Opinion states that pallid sturgeon were still fairly common in the Missouri in 1967, well after most water development on the Platte, North Platte, and South Platte Rivers was completed. • Range of conditions in baseline and other areas indicate pallid sturgeon use a broad range of habitat, which the lower Platte contains, but which is not unique to the Platte. • Past BO USFWS has concluded that water management on Missouri and Mississippi Rivers for flood control and navigation were the cause of population declines. • Just because the Platte River is one of the least altered tributaries to the Missouri (UFWS, April 22, 2002) does not mean it is, or ever was habitat for pallid sturgeon. If the Platte River is one of the least altered of the tributaries to the Missouri River its use by pallid sturgeon would also be the least altered and yet three years of intense effort to find pallid sturgeon in the river has resulted in less than one fish per year. • Current study of flow impacts from the central Platte River indicate the central Platte flows are small percentage of the lower Platte River flows and likely do not significantly affect most hydraulic parameters. • Two radio tagged fish did not stay in Platte River or could not be found.