The pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus is an endangered sturgeon distributed throughout the Mississippi River drainage. Habitat selection and movement have been identified as critical conservation information. Seventy-one pallid sturgeon were tagged with acoustic transmitters in the lower Mississippi River (LMR), and 53 sturgeon were tagged in the Atchafalaya River System (ARS). Twenty-two pallid sturgeon in the LMR and 30 in the ARS were monitored using stationary acoustic receivers to assess short-term movement. Pallid sturgeon in the LMR showed positive selection for island tip, outside-bend natural bank, wing dike, sandbar, outside-bend revetted bank, and secondary channel habitats. Pallid sturgeon in the ARS exhibited positive selection for both inside and outside-bend revetted banks, inside-bend natural banks, and water control structures. Fish selected against the main channel in both systems. Short-term movement in the LMR and ARS was minimal and not related to any of the tested environmental factors
