Artist drawing of a long nose gar. - courtesy graphic by Joe Tomerelli

Photograph of yellow sandshell. - courtesy photo from the Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest

The mussel program at Genoa National Fish Hatchery has expanded the past four years as management agencies realize the potential of propagated mussels produced by the hatchery. 

One challenge currently faced is when agencies request mussel species that use host fish that are not in production at the hatchery.  One such mussel is the yellow sandshell, which uses long nose and short nose gar as its host. 

 The yellow sandshell is a species of interest by states along the Upper Mississippi River.  The biggest challenge to propagating yellow sandshell is finding a source of yearling gar. 

This challenge was met at the end of March when biologist from Genoa NFH and the La Crosse Fisheries Resource Office teamed up to electrofish gar from the Mississippi River near Lansing, Iowa.

Lansing is home of a coal burning power plant that has a warm water discharge throughout the year.  It is this warm water discharge that attracts large numbers of fish including yearling gar.  In less than two hours of electrofishing, biologist collected 52 gar comprised of both long nose and short nose. 

The gar were then transported to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, where they will be housed until May when they will be inoculated with yellow sandshell glochidia and placed in cages.  Progeny from this year’s culture effort will be used to start restoration of yellow sandshell in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries.