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Jennings, C. A., H. Bolton, M. J.M. and S. T. Yess (1992). Status and distribution of paddlefish in the Upper Mississippi River. Page 28 in J. Wlosinski and M. Dewey, eds. 24th Annual Meeting of the Mississippi River Research Consortium, La Crosse, Wisconsin (USA), Mississippi River Research Consortium, Inc.

In July, 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was petitioned to list the paddlefish Polyodon spathula as a threatened species. Data on the status and distribution of paddlefish populations in the Upper Mississippi River needed to respond to the petition data were scarce or lacking. Thus, a mail survey was conducted to assess the distribution and status of paddlefish populations in the upper river. During the summer of 1990, 705 questionnaires were mailed to fishery scientists and commercial fishermen from the five states bordering the Upper Mississippi. Thirty seven percent of the questionnaires (260 of 705) were completed and returned. A significant portion of the respondents (59%) indicated that they have caught paddlefish in the Upper Mississippi River. Of those, about half had caught paddlefish rarely, and one-third had commonly or frequently caught paddlefish. Most paddlefish were found in navigation Pools 8, 10, 13, and 19. Fishery classification status ranged from commercial to protected for the five states surveyed. The results of this survey suggest that paddlefish populations in the Upper Mississippi River still occupy much of their historic range. Moreover, many of the fishery biologists surveyed believed that paddlefish populations in the Upper Mississippi River are stable and may be increasing.