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
- Preliminary Fall Electrofishing Survey
- 2009-2010 Mississippi River Information Brochure
- Major River Survey 2008 (2.6MB)
- compilation of aquatic habitat and fisheries information
- includes annual comparisons and historical trends
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)
- Prescott, WI (Pool 3)
- Lake City, MN (Pool 4)
- Wabasha, MN
- Alma, WI (Pool 5)
- Fountain City, WI (Pool 5A)
- Winona, MN (Pool 6)
- Dakota, MN (Pool 7)
- LaCrosse, WI (Pool 8)
- Brownsville, MN
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
- Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP)
- Mississippi River Makeover Project
- Upper Mississippi River Basin Association
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center