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The Diets Of Larval And Juvenile Pallid Sturgeon And Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Spp.) In The Lower Mississippi River, Audrey Harrison

All Theses

Although North American sturgeon have been the focus of extensive research in the last several decades, more research is essential to ensure their conservation. The free-flowing Lower Mississippi River (LMR) is occupied by two sympatric sturgeon, pallid [ Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes & Richardson)] and shovelnose sturgeon [Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Rafinesque)]. These species are considered 'endangered' and 'threatened,' respectively. Recent studies have documented the life history of adult sturgeon in the Mississippi River, but studies focusing on young-of-year and juveniles are limited because young fish are difficult to collect and identifications are problematic. Spawning sites in the LMR are unknown and though …