A reproductive female pallid sturgeon was reeled in on a trotline near Columbia, MO on Friday, April 15. She was implanted with a telemetry transmitter and given the “name” PLS11-008. She weighed 2.30 kg (5 lbs) and had a firm belly full of black eggs. PLS11-008 has a coded wire tag indicating she was produced in a hatchery. Genetic testing will contribute more information regarding her parents and hopefully lead us to the year she was born.
Upon making an incision in PLS11-008 in which to implant a telemetry transmitter, black eggs pushed to the surface. A few of the eggs were collected for analysis on how close she is to spawning.
PLS11-009, a reproductive male, was captured 3 miles downstream of PLS11-008 on the same day. Caught in a gill net, PLS11-009 weighed 2.7 kg (almost 6 lbs) and has no hatchery markings. A genetic sample was taken to identify if he truly is a wild pallid sturgeon.
With water temperatures and river levels rising, the focus is now changing from fishing to tracking.
