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About 20 biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Nebraska Game and Parks, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were in Neosho Tuesday and today to help tag endangered pallid sturgeon.
The Neosho National Fish Hatchery is preparing these fish to be put into the wild waters of the Missouri River. Before they are released, each fish is marked with vital statistics and genetic history. Then, when and if the fish are caught, they can be identified as being from Neosho.
Along the sides of each fish is a row of scutes, which are bony plates. The removal of the fifth scute on the right side of the fish was as another way to identify these fish if they should be caught. Each fish was individually taken and the scute removed.
After the scute was removed, the fish were implanted with an electronic chip. The chip was placed under the skin on the right side of the fish.
According to Jaime Pacheco, of the Neosho hatchery, the removal of the fifth scute is a way to date the year the fish were released. The loss of the scute is the secondary way of identifying the year; the first is to scan the fish and read the electronic tag under the skin. However, if the chip has been lost, biologists can check for the missing scute. Each
see fish, page 5year’s crop gets a different scute removed, and it can be from the left or right side of the fish. But the electronic tag is always inserted in the left side.
The tagging process started Tuesday at 1 p.m. and was expected to end Wednesday afternoon. Most of the biologists who came to tag are part of the multi-agency stocking team. This team trains year around as they try to save this endangered species.
This week’s tagging was the first for some members of the stocking team. Their normal activity is to search for wild, adult sturgeon in the Missouri River and capture them to use as brood stock. According to one of the biologists, catching sturgeon has gotten easier in the last year or two.
“I don’t know if we’re getting better or if there are more sturgeon,” he said.
He also added that when they first started, catching one was so rare that when they got one, the leader of the fishing team had to buy ice cream for everyone on the team.
“Now that we’re getting better, they stopped the ice cream rewards,” he said with a laugh.
The pallid sturgeon is a rare fish that is almost extinct. The Neosho National Fish Hatchery is working to restore them to good numbers. The new visitor center at the hatchery has live pallid sturgeon on display and, through exhibits, tell the story of what many call the “dinosaur fish.”
About 20 biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Nebraska Game and Parks, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were in Neosho Tuesday and today to help tag endangered pallid sturgeon.
The Neosho National Fish Hatchery is preparing these fish to be put into the wild waters of the Missouri River. Before they are released, each fish is marked with vital statistics and genetic history. Then, when and if the fish are caught, they can be identified as being from Neosho.
Along the sides of each fish is a row of scutes, which are bony plates. The removal of the fifth scute on the right side of the fish was as another way to identify these fish if they should be caught. Each fish was individually taken and the scute removed.
After the scute was removed, the fish were implanted with an electronic chip. The chip was placed under the skin on the right side of the fish.
According to Jaime Pacheco, of the Neosho hatchery, the removal of the fifth scute is a way to date the year the fish were released. The loss of the scute is the secondary way of identifying the year; the first is to scan the fish and read the electronic tag under the skin. However, if the chip has been lost, biologists can check for the missing scute. Each
see fish, page 5year’s crop gets a different scute removed, and it can be from the left or right side of the fish. But the electronic tag is always inserted in the left side.
The tagging process started Tuesday at 1 p.m. and was expected to end Wednesday afternoon. Most of the biologists who came to tag are part of the multi-agency stocking team. This team trains year around as they try to save this endangered species.
This week’s tagging was the first for some members of the stocking team. Their normal activity is to search for wild, adult sturgeon in the Missouri River and capture them to use as brood stock. According to one of the biologists, catching sturgeon has gotten easier in the last year or two.
“I don’t know if we’re getting better or if there are more sturgeon,” he said.
He also added that when they first started, catching one was so rare that when they got one, the leader of the fishing team had to buy ice cream for everyone on the team.
“Now that we’re getting better, they stopped the ice cream rewards,” he said with a laugh.
The pallid sturgeon is a rare fish that is almost extinct. The Neosho National Fish Hatchery is working to restore them to good numbers. The new visitor center at the hatchery has live pallid sturgeon on display and, through exhibits, tell the story of what many call the “dinosaur fish.”
