Each year, representatives from State and Federal agencies involved in pallid sturgeon monitoring on the Missouri River meet to discuss the year's successes and determine if revisions to the standard protocol are necessary. 

Representatives including: Columbia FRO, four State fish and wildlife agencies, and two other USFWS offices form the Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment and Monitoring Team (PSA).  T

he PSA team has been actively sampling with a standardized protocol since 2003, however, 2006 marks the first year of full implementation throughout the entire River without any missing sections.  Along with full sampling coverage, the team now has a centralized database maintained by the Missouri Department of Conservation and has a statistician in place to provide recommendations for adaptive management. 

Biologists are currently in the process of analyzing results from gear comparisons and pallid sturgeon captures from the past three years to determine better stocking and sampling recommendations for the future.  

As part of the effort in 2006, the PSA captured over 200 pallid sturgeon basin wide including several juvenile wild fish that are thought to be about three years old.  These few captures are an example of the success of the program in having the ability to document new wild production as it relates to the recovery of the species.