Photo by Tishomingo NFH Staff, 4-18-07, alligator gar tagging with Missouri Dept. of Conservation

Staff of Tishomingo NFH and Missouri Dept. of Conservation measure and P.I.T. tag alligator gar at Tishomingo NFH on 4-18-07.

Production of alligator gar for use in re-establishing a sustainable population on the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri was initiated in 2006 following a request to the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery for assistance from the Missouri Department of Conservation.  Alligator gar are thought to have been extirpated from waters in Missouri.  This first year of rearing fry at the Tishomingo Hatchery obtained from the Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery in Mississippi resulted in 85 gar ranging from 12 to 30 inches in total length.  All of the fish were tagged with external flag tags and internal P.I.T. tags for future identification.  Thirty of the gar were also fitted with radio transmitters for monitoring after release on the Mingo Refuge.  In accordance with the management plan for re-establishing alligator gar on the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, alligator gar will be produced for release on the Refuge over the next several years.