antenna and receiver on the Missouri.
begin to show up
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
WADE KING
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and MARK HENCKEL
Billings Gazette Outdoor Editor
Biologists with Missouri River Adopt-A-Fish took to their boats on the Missouri River this week making their first search of spring for radio-implanted fish. They found some, too, although the locations of others remain a mystery.
Big chunks of melting ice still dot the shorelines on much of the river. The water temperature is still a chilly 38 degrees. And flocks of Canada geese making their spring migration northward can be found resting on the islands. It's still early spring on the Missouri.
On Monday, biologists going downstream from Fort Peck Dam to Wolf Point located 37 fish implanted with radio transmitters.
Among them was Shovelnose Sturgeon No. 1 (Gilly to Ms. Boerner's fourth graders and June to Ms. Flowers' students) had moved upstream 10 miles from where it was last fall. Shovelnose Sturgeon No. 3 (Shemp to Mr. Strosky's seventh graders) had moved upstream 6.5 miles.
Blue suckers were also located Monday including No. 1 (Old Blue to Mr. Kalanick's sixth graders and Ernie to Mrs. Graham's third graders) which had moved hardly at all since last fall. Blue Sucker No. 2 (Moe to another one of Mr. Strosky's classes and Flounder to Ms. Bue's fifth and sixth graders) made a move upstream 31.5 miles, almost to Fort Peck Dam. Right now, No. 2 is resting in the waters just off the Boy Scout Park boat ramp. Finally on Monday, biologists located Blue Sucker No. 4 (Molly to Mrs. Verke's sixth graders) who had moved hardly at all after traveling 115 miles last fall.
Biologists continued down the river on Tuesday, working the stretch from Wolf Point to the confluence of the Missouri with the Yellowstone River. They found two more adopted fish. Shovelnose Sturgeon No. 2 (Dr. Bob to Thomas Slothouber and Beanie to Ms. Plant's sixth graders) moved downstream 6.5 miles since last fall. Shovelnose Sturgeon No. 4 (Shoven Sarg to Ms. Volbrecht's second and third graders) made a big move downstream of 49 miles. Three pallid sturgeon were also found Tuesday. Pallid Sturgeon No. 2 (Jaws for Miss Rutz's fourth graders and Monty for Ms. Furber's third graders), Pallid Sturgeon No. 3 (Larry for Mr. Strosky's seventh graders and Smokey for Mrs. O'Connor's fifth and sixth graders) and Pallid Sturgeon No. 4 (Swimster for Mrs. Ryti's second graders) are all at the confluence of Missouri and Yellowstone.
On Wednesday, the biologists were taking their boat below the confluence where the paddlefish and pallid sturgeon seem to like the waters.
Other crews will be putting out the floating barges on the upper and lower stretches of the river in the days to come, which should pick up more fish movements. Missouri River Adopt-A-Fish will be posting weekly updates in the Outdoors section of The Billings Gazette every Thursday through April and May. You can also see animated maps of fish movements on our Web site and learn a lot more about the river and the fish there. Classrooms can still sign up and adopt fish of their own, as well.
On the Internet, anyone can go to www.walleyesunlimited.com and click on the Missouri River Adopt-A-Fish button to learn more about it.
Missouri River Adopt-A-Fish is a cooperative effort of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Billings Gazette and Walleyes Unlimited of Montana.