Laserfiche WebLink
surveys, pallid sturgeon have composed 0 to 26 percent of sturgeon collected. Habitat modification is <br />considered the primary factor affecting pallid sturgeon populations. Approximately 49 percent of the <br />pallid sturgeon's historic range has been modified to the extent that it is no longer suitable. Much of the <br />remaining habitat has been substantially impacted by channelization. The species is now relegated to <br />four genetically isolated sub - populations (upper Missouri River, Missouri/Yellowstone River, lower <br />Missouri River - middle Mississippi River -lower Mississippi River, Atchafalaya River). The populations <br />have little opportunity for genetic exchange. Evidence of successful reproduction is rare and <br />documentation of recent recruitment is non - existent. <br />As habitat loss continues, other factors affecting pallid sturgeon, such as incidental/illegal harvest and <br />hybridization, become more problematic. Further, habitat modification exacerbates the effects of such <br />factors, such as hybridization. <br />Although microhabitat use data for the pallid sturgeon are limited, the general habitat needs of the <br />species is known. Those include braided channels, seasonal flow patterns, turbidity, and extensive <br />microhabitat diversity. Further, it is reasonable to draw inferences from data collected for other large <br />river fish, such as the paddlefish and shovelnose sturgeon, which evolved under similar river conditions. <br />ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE WITHIN THE ACTION AREA <br />The section 7 environmental baseline is an analysis of the effects of past and ongoing human and natural <br />factors leading to the current status and condition of the listed species, their habitats and ecosystem <br />within the action area. The environmental baseline is a "snapshot" of a species' health at a specified <br />point in time that reflects the current condition of the species, and that sets the "context' ' for the <br />jeopardy analysis. The baseline for this biological opinion includes: 1) the past and present impacts of <br />all Federal, State, or private actions and other human activities in the action area; 2) the anticipated <br />impacts of all proposed Federal projects in the action area that have already undergone formal or early <br />section 7 consultation; and 3) the impact of State or private actions occurring simultaneously with this <br />consultation. <br />Although the baseline includes the past and present impacts of activities in the action area (e.g., annual <br />operations and maintenance), it does not include the future impacts of the action under review in this <br />consultation. Therefore, the baseline does not include the anticipated effects of the continued operation <br />of the Missouri and Kansas River projects. <br />STATUS OF THE SPECIES WITHIN THE ACTION AREA AND THE ECOSYSTEMS <br />UPON WHICH THEY DEPEND <br />The status and condition of the bald eagle, least tern, piping plover, and pallid sturgeon and the <br />Env. Baseline -MR System 117 <br />