Food and Feeding Behavior of the Shovelnose Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus platorynchus, in the Unchannelized Missouri River, South Dakota

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Abstract
The feeding habits of the shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorynchus) were investigated in the unchannelized Missouri River, South Dakota [USA], between Oct. 1971 and Sept. 1972. The annual diet was dominated by aquatic arthropods, particularly larvae of the insect orders Trichoptera, Diptera and Ephemeroptera. The annual feeding behavior was separated into 3 intervals: the fall months, during which the fish extensively utilized the major components of the drift; the winter period, characterized by exploitation of a greater diversity of aquatic and terrestrial foraging. Electivity values indicated opportunistic feeding activity. Shifts of feeding activity were influenced by timing and rates of discharge from the Lewis and Clark Reservoir located upriver. Changes in the elevation and velocity of the water mass appeared to affect the vulnerability of prey organisms.
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