Field work for the Habitat Assessment and Monitoring Program (HAMP) conducted by Columbia FRO concluded for the 2006 season on October 31. 

Work in 2006 was concentrated on 10 selected river bends on the Lower Missouri River located between Jefferson City and Kansas City. 

This monitoring effort is based on a BACI experimental design that is intended to provide general monitoring information as well as have the ability to answer specific questions related to habitat construction. 

2006 was the second field season for the biological portion of  HAMP and Columbia FRO continued to investigate new sampling gears and answer important sampling design related questions such as sampling intensity. 

A independent science review panel found this strategy to be sound and the program was making good progress.  More than 1,500 samples or net sets were collected the during this field season.  Memorable fish captures for the season include four pallid sturgeon (three hatchery origin and one wild origin). 

Other significant captures include a trout perch, Percopsis omiscomaycus, the first to be captured by the Columbia FRO on the Missouri River.  Several species of darters were also captured, another uncommon fish to be captured in the Missouri River. 

The trout perch and darters as well as other species were captured using a new sampling technique, the push trawl that allows the sampling of small bodied fish in locations inaccessible with other traditional gears that have been used on the river. 

Both the biological and physical portions of HAMP are intended to monitor shallow water habitat that is currently being constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers on the channelized portion of the Missouri River. 

These projects are intended to provide aquatic habitat diversity to this portion of the Missouri River.   The river has been highly modified to meet the needs of the Bank stabilization and Navigation Program and habitat diversity was been lost due to these modifications to the river.   Although the intent of these projects is to recover the pallid sturgeon, it is recognized that improved aquatic habitat will be beneficial to many other species including those sought by anglers.