Shortnose Gar
(Lepisosteus platostomus)

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Shortnose Gar

The distribution of shortnose gar within Montana is limited, with documentation primarily in the Missouri River dredge cuts downstream of Fort Peck Dam. Shortnose gars are typically found in large rivers, quiet pools, backwaters, and oxbow lakes. Conservation concerns include: limited information in Montana; backwater habitat fi lled in for agriculture and modifi ed by lack of channel maintenance fl ows; and coldwater release, lack of turbidity and artifi cial hydrograph below Fort Peck Dam on the lower Missouri. Conservation strategies include: considering a management plan for the shortnose gar or including it in another comprehensive taxonomic plan; increasing conservation initiatives for backwater sloughs and channels; and regulating water regimes to be more closely tied to natural water regimes.