Missouri scientists eavesdrop on an ancient river giant to prevent its extinction

Missouri scientists eavesdrop on an ancient river giant to prevent its extinction

Source: St. Louis Public Radio

5/15/2022

Credit: Courtesy / Missouri Department of Conservation

Lake sturgeon are ancient creatures that have survived cataclysmic events over millions of years. But scientists worry they might not survive us.

Sarah Peper was getting ready for church last month when she got an unexpected phone call from a colleague alerting her of a rare event: Lake sturgeon were spawning along the banks of the Mississippi River near St. Louis.

“I dropped what I was doing and got over there as fast as I could,” said Peper, a fisheries biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Just a few hundred feet from the towering Melvin Locks and Price Dam in West Alton, five endangered lake sturgeon congregated in the shallows, thrashing their tails against the current and releasing peppercorn-size eggs.

Mississippi River

Sturgeon, Lake

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
3426	Iran names newly discovered species of fish after Ali Daei	ifpnews	2021-11-15	IR
3427	Longtime Lorain library goldfish Nemo swims to a new home at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital	news5cleveland	2021-11-11	US
3428	Some of Earth’s longest-lived fish show how to reach extreme ages	nature	2021-11-12	US
3429	Cop26: Oceanographer Sylvia Earle calls for industrial fishing ban on high seas	theguardian	2021-11-10	UK
3430	Cambridge report recommends cutting the Riverside dam project	the record	2021-11-29	CA
3431	Castlewood creek popular despite E. coli levels	stltoday	2010-07-27	US
3432	Record 21.57 pound tautog caught off Newport	johnstonsunrise	2021-11-19	US
3433	A tiny Alaska town is split over a goldmine. At stake is a way of life	theguardian	2021-06-22	US
3434	Fish captured 'smoking cigarette' on camera saved before gobbling the entire thing	dailystar	2021-09-27	UK
3435	Zombie plant a threat to fish and even swimmers	CBC News	2021-09-07	CA

137 of [137 - pages.]