cated negative changes in status since 1983 (Table
1). Significant positive changes were reported in Io-
wa, which changed status from declining to stable/
increasing: Kansas, which changed from declining
to stable/increasing; South Dakota, which changed
from declining to stable; Wisconsin, which changed
from stable to increasing; and Texas and West Vir-
ginia, which changed from declining to increasing.
All but two of these states (Iowa and Wisconsin) im-
plemented stocking programs to supplement exist-
ing stocks or recover historic populations.
North Dakota reported the most significant neg-
ativc change in status since 1983 by changing from
stable/increasing to declining (Table 1). Additional-
ly, Montana and Nebraska changed their status
from stable to stable/declining. Most of the other
declining shifts in status since 1983 are the result of
states reporting that their stock inventories are un-
known at this time.
Several significant changes in the management
and regulation of paddlefish during the last 10 years
were prompted by recognition of continued degra-
dation of paddlefish habitat, threats of industrial.
Commercial, or agricultural contaminants in pad-
dlefish, and an increase in the demand for paddlef-
ish caviar. Since 1983, 86% of the states where pad-
dlcfish still occur have changed their regulations of
sport and/or commercial paddlefish fisheries (Ta-
bles l and 2). Alabama, Virginia, and West Virginia
no longer allow a sport harvest, and Alabama, Io-Table 1. Classification and population status of paddlefish in all states containing paddlefish for 1994. as compared to 1983.^1State Status19832 1994 19832 1994Alabama Commercial Special Concern Decline Stable/DecIineIllinois Commercial Sport/Commercial De cline Decline
Indiana Sport Sport Stable StableKansas Sport Sport Decline Stable/IncreaseArkansas Commercial Sport/Commercial Increase StableIowa Commercial Sport Stable StableKentucky Commercial Commercial Stable Stable
Louisiana Commercial Special concern Stable Stable
Maryland Threatened Extirpated Extirpated Extirpated
Minnesota Protected Threatened Stable Stable
Mississippi Commercial Stable/Increase Stable
Missouri Game Game Stable Stable
Montana Sport Sport/Special concern Stable Stable/Decline
Nebraska Sport Sport Stable Stable/Decline
New York Extirpated Extirpated Extirpated Extirpated^3
North Carolina Not Classified Endangered Extirpated Extirpated^4
North Dakota Commercial Sport/Special concern Stable/Increase Decline
Ohio Endangered Threatened Decline Unknown
Oklahoma Commercial Non-game Unknown Stable
Pennsylvania Extirpated Extirpated Extirpated ExtirpatedTennessee Commercial Sport/Commercial St ab le Unknown
Texas Endangered Endangered Decline Increase
Virginia Non-Game Threatened Stable Unknown
West Virginia Sport Special concern Decline Increase
Wisconsin Watch list Watch list Stable Increase(^1) Paddlefish are considered to be extirpated from Maryland, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
(^2) From Gengerke (1986).
(^3) Sole report of a paddlefish in New York was one fish in 1800s.
(^4) There are two unconfirmed reports of paddlefish being taken during the last 19 years.
South Dakota Sport Sport Decline Stable
Classifications
Commercial