Mississippi River

Lake City conducts annual
monitoring (started in 1993) of aquatic habitat and fish populations in Navigation Pools 3, 5, 5a, 6, 7 and the MN portion of Pool 9 of the Mississippi River and also on the Lower Vermillion River (predominately backwaters). 

  • Objective: to maintain a “finger on the pulse” of an ever-changing system while increasing our long-term understanding and perspective of how climatic, geomorphological, and biotic variables affect habitat and fish populations in this portion of Upper Mississippi River
  • Goal: use this information to help direct management decisions and actions that improve and/or protect habitat conditions, regulate commercial and sport harvest of fish, and recommend further research opportunities

Recent River Reports

Mississippi River Guide (8.93MB)

  • Detailed maps for boating on the Mississippi River between Hastings, MN and the Iowa border.  Some features included are:
    • dam and wing dam locations
    • public accesses - trailer and carry in
    • National wildlife refuge, state park, scientific and natural area and wildlife management area lands
    • resorts and private campgrounds
    • stump fields
  • This free map book is also available at the Lake City DNR office. 

Sturgeon Sampling

  • Sturgeon are pre-historic fish that have evolved in large river systems throughout the world.
    • Populations have been threatened due to overfishing of the species for caviar production and secondarily by habitat reduction and pollution.
  • The upper Mississippi River provides habitat suitable for lake and shovelnose sturgeon
  • The Lake City fisheries crew began tagging lake sturgeon in the Mississippi River in the spring of 2007 to determine population abundance, size structure, and movement.
    • Currently, 149 fish (between 13-63.5") have been tagged.
    • Most were captured and tagged below Lock and Dam 3 (Red Wing).
    • A similar tagging study is being conducted in Lake St. Croix.  These "St. Croix" fish have been documented as far down as lower Lake Pepin.

 

So You Found a Tagged Fish?                     

     

     

     

     

     

River Gauges - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (flow, precipitation, temperature, wind)

Invasive Carp

  • Pool 5A
    • 01/22/2009:  1 bighead carp and 17 grass carp caught in a commercial fisherman's seine haul
  • Pool 8
    • 11/25/2008:  1-2 bighead carp, 2 grass carp and 1 silver carp caught in a commercial fisherman's seine haul
  • Pool 9
    • 01/29/2009:  1 bighead carp caught by a commercial fisherman 
  • Invasive Species Link

Useful Links