Protect the future of an ancient fish
the Pallid Sturgeon
The Full Story Of
the pallid stuRgeon
Pallid sturgeon are living dinosaurs! The sturgeon family dates back 200 million years, and the pallid sturgeon seen today descended from sturgeon living 80 million years ago. In comparison, the salmonid family, which includes both trout and salmon, is only 45 million years old. From the extinction of the dinosaurs to multiple ice ages, to major habitat changes, the sturgeon has continued to adapt and evolve as a species (Evolutionary History, 2013). However, while these incredible fish have survived for millions of years, today they are facing extinction.
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The Missouri River used to be slow and wide, flowing with rich biodiversity including the pallid sturgeon. Unfortunately, at the turn of the 20th century, agencies began attempting to control its flow, in order to reduce flooding. In fact, in 1944, the Flood Control Act passed, allowing the United States Army Corps of Engineers -"Corps"- to build dams as they pleased. The Corps is a group of engineers that undergo construction projects for the U.S. government, including civil engineering. These dams, including some known as "wing dams," were a combination of piled rocks that artificially manipulated the river leaving the channel only nine feet deep in the middle! As a result of these obstructions, the pallid sturgeon along with many other species in the Missouri River ecosystem, have seen great declines in their populations.
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There is evidence that the pallid sturgeon were swimming the waters of the Missouri and Mississippi river systems while dinosaurs like tyrannosaurus rex or stegosaurus roamed the earth (Sturgeon, 2021)!
Why You should care
socioeconomic value of the musouri river
The misouri and mississippi river systems are incredibly valuable. Hydropower is generated by six main dams alongside the Missouri river. The financial benefit from the Missouri river water supply is $541.6 million annually. In addition, the river generates almost $87 million from the 10 million people who use the Missouri river for recreational purposes yearly (Lewis and Clark: Water Use Today, 2020).
While these dams generate millions of dollars, placing econo damaged the Missouri River Development on the Missouri is threatening the bank stabilization and erosion. Additionally, dams have led to the increase in soil accumulation in reservoirs. For example, the delta in Lake Sakakawea has increased from 5 to 11 feet between 1956 and 1988. In other words, increased soil quantities decrease water storage capabilities, resulting in nearby waterlogged agricultural land.