June 2022 - 33

" We tried pit tagging, floy tags,
trapping fish and electrofishing. It
all partially worked, but radio tags
are a new technology we haven't
tried. " - Gordon Edwards
Powder River during spring when fish are
moving due to high flows, sometimes as high
as 10,000 cubic feet per second, " said Paul
Mavrakis, Sheridan Region fisheries supervisor.
" It makes net sampling very difficult and
electrofishing impossible. When the Powder
is really flowing we can't even touch it. The
river is too big and too wild. The way we'll be
able to sample fish now during those migratory
time frames is by 'listening' to them. "
TOP THREE
For years fisheries biologists have used
Fisheries personnel use trammel nets to capture fish in the Powder River. Trammel nets are floated downstream and fish are
unable to see the net in turbid conditions. (WGFD photo)
various sampling methods to document
movements of fish in the Powder River
drainage, but each one had drawbacks.
" We tried pit tagging, floy tags, trapping
fish and electrofishing. It all partially worked,
but radio tags are a new technology we haven't
tried, " Edwards said.
In summer 2021 Edwards, statewide
fisheries biologist Stephen Siddons and
several technicians began laying the study's
groundwork by sampling stretches of Clear
Creek and the Powder River. They captured,
weighed, measured and recorded species of
fish they caught. For three species: goldeye,
sauger and shovelnose sturgeon, an additional
step was added - implanting radio tags.
" Shovelnose sturgeon, sauger and goldeye
are all highly migratory species, " Edwards said.
" Each has its own life history that seeks certain
habitats during different life stages as well as
seasonally. Each is also listed as a Species of
Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming and
a lot is still unknown about how and when
these fish move around. "
To better track these species, a radio tag
Nathan Jaksha sutures an incision after implanting a radio tag into a sauger. The fish are anesthetized prior to the surgery and
freshwater is continuously poured over the gills. (WGFD photo)
is surgically implanted in the fish's stomach
cavity, and the opening is sutured shut. Each
tag is activated before it is implanted, and
it emits a radio signal every five seconds.
Fisheries biologists selected radio tags for
each species to ensure tags weren't too large.
Wyoming Wildlife | 33

June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2022

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