Barbels on pallid sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon, and catfish are used to taste. This very sensitive "distant touch" sense affords fish the ability to find prey items in murky waters. Exterior taste buds are common in many fishes; catfish have taste receptors on their skin, fins, and barbels as well as in their mouths. In addition to barbels, sturgeons also have ampullary organs on the underside of their flat-bottomed snouts that allow them to detect electrical impulses of prey items. The presence of these sensory organs help make sturgeons very effective "benthic cruisers" that feed by finding patches of prey and then sucking it up. Pallid sturgeon eat mostly fish and shovelnose sturgeon primarily feed upon aquatic insects. -- Biologist Matt

We enjoyed hearing about Smokey. We want to know more about him and how your training is going? How old is Smokey? How long have you been training him? How did you come up with this idea of training Smokey? Has Smokey ever jumped out of your boat to fetch a fish? -- Mrs. Crooks' fifth graders, Meeteetse, Wyo.

I think Smokey is six or seven years old now (I just can't remember which). I got him as a puppy from a friend in Malta, Montana. We used to have a springer spaniel named Scoop, but he passed away, and Smokey was our new dog. My wife Carol said a black Lab would be just fine, just as long as he didn't get too big. Well............... I suppose I fibbed a bit. I said, "Naw, he won't get REAL big." Smokey is somewhere between 90 and 100 pounds. He's a pretty big Lab.

I take Smokey hunting for grouse and pheasants with me. But I really like to fish, too. So he started coming along with me in my boat when I fished for walleyes, bass and northern pike. And he'd walk along the streams and rivers with me when I went fishing for trout. Every time I hooked a fish, he got real excited. So I thought, if he's as interested in fish as he is in birds, why not try to train him to be a fish pointer? We've been working on it ever since. Sometimes he forgets what he's supposed to do and falls asleep in the bottom of the boat. Sometimes he takes a nap when I'm fishing for trout, too. But for some reason, he always wakes up when I stop for lunch. I think he figures that the last corner of my sandwich belongs to him. He likes it when I share my bag of chips. And he even eats bits of apples and carrots.

So is he a good fish pointer? Not yet, I guess. But we're working on it. And we always seem to have a good time when we go hunting and fishing together. -- Mark (and Smokey)

How are you going to modify Fort Peck dam? -- Miles City Sacred Heart School

Actually, there are no plans to modify Fort Peck Dam. What is currently proposed is to modify the operation of the dam to make the flows and water temperature a little more fish friendly. This would be achieved by releasing warm surface water out of Fort Peck Reservoir from the spillway. Fort Peck Dam is somewhat unique in that the spillway structure is not associated with the dam itself - it's located about three miles to the east.

The proposed modifications would release surface water out of Fort Peck during late May / early June for about a four to six week period. The flows would be gradually increased, then decreased to mimic the natural rise and fall of the river's spring discharge back before it was dammed. Additionally, water temperature would increase in the river since most of the river's flow would be from the warmer, surface water being released from the surface of Fort Peck Reservoir. Currently, the water in the river originates from the bottom of Fort Peck before flowing through the power houses to generate electricity. Thus, it's very cold and clear. These flow changes would only occur about once every three years, as they must fit in with both upstream and downstream water needs.

Why these changes? These flow modification recommendations were provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Army Corp of Engineers to help recover pallid sturgeon, which are a federally-protected endangered species. But, although these efforts are being directed specifically at pallid sturgeon, certainly other native species in the Missouri River will benefit as well.

This is just a very brief overview of what has been a controversial, political, and at times, contentious issue. Hopefully, by working together with all interested parties, we can make some changes that benefit the river and the fishes that call it home.-- Biologist Dave.

Here is a list of questions that Mrs. Ashley's Kindergarten class at Miles City Sacred Heart School e-mailed to our biologists:


Where do the fish spawn?

All three species -- paddlefish, shovelnose sturgeon and blue suckers -- spawn in the mainstems of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, and a few of those rivers' larger tributaries. We see far more fish spawning in the Yellowstone River because of its warmer water temperature and higher spring flows. These high flows seem to "cue" these species to run upriver to spawn. Fort Peck Dam has smoothed the Missouri's flow, so it rarely has high flows in the spring. It appears that many of the fish living in the Missouri often migrate downstream and then up the Yellowstone to spawn, or use the Milk River. The Milk River flows into the Missouri about nine miles below Fort Peck Peck Dam, and is quite turbid (muddy) and warm when running high. These three species prefer warm, turbid river flows. -- Biologist Dave.

What rivers do specific fish species travel in?

We find similar species in both the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, but the number of individuals we see of any one species is usually higher in the Yellowstone. Why? The Yellowstone still has the warm, turbid flows that these species adapted to many years ago. The clear, cold water released from Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri is not preferred by these fish. -- Biologist Dave.

Do the fish move from one river to another?

Yes, these fish often move back and forth between these two rivers. Both rivers here really form one ecosystem for these fish -- one area where the fish can move back and forth. One thing we hope students will learn from this study is how mobile fish actually are. Keep checking on these fish over the next several weeks. As the Yellowstone's flows rise, we might see some very interesting movement. -- Biologist Dave.

Do certain species like certain rivers?

Yes, for the same reasons in the answers above. They seek the areas and the rivers they like best. -- Biologist Dave.

How long do sturgeon and paddlefish live?

Shovelnose sturgeon and paddlefish commonly live upwards of 30 years! That's pretty long for a fish, but the shovelnose's cousin - the pallid sturgeon - wins the long-life award. They live to be more than 60 years old! -- Biologist Dave.

How long will the project last?

Missouri River Adopt-A-Fish will continue through the end of the school year with weekly updates and periodic updates after that. The biologists' project to follow the fish implanted with transmitters is scheduled to last four years, 2001 to 2004. -- Biologist Dave.

What's the goal of the project?

The goal of the project is to see how these species respond to proposed flow modifications from Fort Peck Dam. These flow changes are proposed to occur sometime in late May or early-to-mid June. The river flow would come up and try to increase water temperature and flows in the Missouri to make the river flow more like it did before Fort Peck Dam was created. Some questions that biologists will try to answer in the proposed project are: 1) will these species be attracted to these warmer, higher flows in the Missouri; 2) will spawning success for these species increase in the Missouri under these changed flows, and 3) can biologists identify important habitats used by these fish in the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. -- Biologist Dave.

Will you tell us if our fish dies?

Yes, we are committed to providing all details of the lives of these fish. If one has an untimely passing from the project, we will provide classes with all the information we can. So far, of the 15 fish that are in Missouri River Adopt-A-Fish and were implanted with radio transmitters last fall, we've found 14 of them. As of May 2, only Paddlefish 2 is still missing. -- Biologist Dave.

Do sturgeon and paddlefish like dams?

It's hard to say that fish either like or don't like dams. But dams like Fort Peck have changed the rivers and how they flow and how clear or muddy they are and how warm or cold they are. Native fish species like the ones in our project adapted to rivers like the Missouri over many thousands of years. The dams changed the river's characteristics and habitats in which these species adapted. Generally, these changes have led to declines in some species, like pallid sturgeon and paddlefish, as well as other native species. However, we all recognize the values associated with these dams, including flood control, power generation, irrigation, and recreation, to name just a few. Working cooperatively and taking what we learn from these radio-implanted fish, we hope that we can operate these dams to make them a little more fish friendly, while maintaining their other important benefits to people. -- Biologist Dave.

You say bigmouth buffalo are a fish in the Missouri River. What do they taste like? Do they taste like a buffalo? -- Mark H.

Good question, Mark. But no, they don't taste like a buffalo. Actually, they' taste a whole lot more like chicken. -- Biologist Dave

Copyright, 2002-07
Montana PikeMasters
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks