Scientific Surveys of Fish Species Present in 1876-1903 and 1944-1971 

 in the Upper Mississippi River 



Table 37 compares fish species taken from the upper Mississippi 

 River in a pre-construction scientific survey between 1876 and 1903 

 (Forbes and Richardson, 1920) and a post-construction scientific sur- 

 vey between 1944 and 1972 (Smith et al. , 1971). Specimens for most 

 records were identified by Illinois Natural History Survey taxonomists 

 and deposited in the fish collection of that agency. 



In the 1876-1903 survey, 90 individual species were collected as 

 compared to 84 species in the 1944-1971 period. Fourteen species which 

 were present in the early period were not present in the recent period. 

 These included 3 commercial species (pallid sturgeon, river redhorse, 

 and brown bullhead) , 1 predatory species (alligator gar) , and 10 forage 

 species (mud-minnow, Ozark minnow, blackchin shiner, blacknose shiner, 

 redfin shiner, steelcolor shiner, Southern redbelly dace, lake chub- 

 sucker, freckled madtom, and crystal darter) . 



Thirteen species were collected between 1944-1971 which were not 

 present in the 1876-1903 period. These species were: 2 commercial 

 species (spotted sucker and yellow bullhead) , 10 forage species (speckled 

 chub, pallid shiner, ghost shiner, spotfin shiner, sand shiner, weed 

 shiner, mimic shiner, trout perch, mud darter, and river darter), and 

 the chestnut lamprey. 



In addition, 8 species were collected between 1944 and 1972 which 

 were classified as accidental stragglers from tributary streams. These 

 included: rainbow trout, creek chub, burbot, redear sunfish, rainbow 

 darter, fantail darter, banded darter, and blackside darter. 



Ill 



