In February, Columbia FRO welcomed new staff member Colby Wrasse.  Wrasse is a Southern Illinois University graduate who previously worked as a fishery biologist with Carterville FRO. 

During his four-and-a-half year tenure at Carterville FRO, he worked on a wide variety of projects across the state of Illinois and beyond.  His work took him from the muddy banks of the Illinois River to the rocky shorelines of crystal clear lakes, and from the roar of the mighty Mississippi to the tranquility of trickling streams. 

Along the way, he gained experience on many topics including: big river fishery research, sportfish management, and invasive species issues. 

Working at Columbia FRO will not be a totally new experience for Wrasse, since he previously worked a detail at Columbia FRO in 2005. 

During that detail he worked on the pallid sturgeon monitoring project, getting the unique opportunity to see and handle several of these endangered, prehistoric fish.  In his new position Wrasse will serve as a lead technician, mainly for the Habitat Assessment and Monitoring Program (HAMP) on the Missouri River.