Page 19 - 2018 MAY/JUNE Outdoor Oklahoma

and had the skills needed to implant ultrasonic tracking
devices in the sturgeon. JOSH JOHNStON/ODWC
“We didn’t want to take any chances with such a
rare fish,” Johnston said. “Even though Dr. Parker was
in the field working on wild fish, it was just like he
was working on a pet in his surgery room. He even
used absorbable stitches because we weren’t likely to
recapture the fish.”
A side benefit of having the fish in hand for the track-
ing project was being able to check the sturgeon’s repro-
ductive status. “A majority of our fish were female,”
Johnston said. “All of those females were mature, and
most of them were gravid, or had eggs. That’s good
news for the river.”
When the fish were returned to the river with the
implanted tracking devices, Johnston started monitor-
ing their movements. “They’re pretty much homebodies,
staying in one general vicinity for several months. But
when temperatures reach 65 to 70 degrees, the urge to
migrate kicks in,” Johnston said.
Unfortunately, the Tulsa area started receiving heavy
rain just before the migratory trigger. Flows were above This averaged-size sturgeon weighed in at 1.5 pounds.

COLiN BErG/ODWC COLiN BErG/ODWC

To track sturgeon movement, Wildlife Department biologists partnered
with Gene Parker, a veterinarian with Oklahoma State University, to
implant ultrasonic tracking devices in the sturgeon. Parker stitches the incision made for implanting a tracking device.

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