This just in…from the US Army Corps of Engineers:
FULL PRESS RELEASE
Confirmed collection of larval pallid sturgeon on the Missouri River
KANSAS CITY, Mo., – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the discovery of the first two genetically-confirmed larval pallid sturgeon captured on the lower Missouri River near St. Louis. The two larval sturgeon were discovered as part of a sampling effort by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The pallid sturgeon is an endangered fish species native to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and significant work has been conducted by multiple state and federal partnerships to help aid its recovery. The sampling was completed under the Corps’ Missouri River Recovery Program. Tissue samples from the two larval pallid sturgeons were confirmed through laboratory analysis at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The Missouri River Recovery Program is a collaborative, comprehensive effort led by the Corps in partnership with multiple entities and stakeholders. Through the MRRP, the Corps implements actions required by the Endangered Species Act to avoid jeopardizing three federally protected species, the pallid sturgeon, least tern, and piping plover on the Missouri River. The program includes development of aquatic habitat. It also includes ongoing data collection and monitoring to determine if these actions are effective.
For more information regarding the Missouri River Recovery Program, visit www.MoRiverRecovery.org