Page 21 - 2018 MAY/JUNE Outdoor Oklahoma

BrAD JOHNStON/ODWC

Oklahoma remains one of few
places that can support the
unique sturgeon.

The Rivers Must Run float downstream for seven days.
For Johnston, this project reinforced the importance of “If the stream segment isn’t long enough because of a
intact prairie rivers for our fish communities. Sturgeon, dam or other barrier, the fry could hatch, drift downstream
once found throughout the Mississippi and Missouri river and end up in a reservoir. Without fast-moving water, the
drainages, have suffered significant declines across their fry would fall to the bottom of that reservoir and suffocate,”
range, primarily due to the loss of free-flowing rivers. Johnston said. “Even if they were able to make it through a
“Shovelnose sturgeon are a really strange fish reservoir because of flooding, they could never make it back
that have been around longer than even paddlefish,” upstream and repopulate their original stretch of river.”
Johnston said. “They’ve survived as a species for 100 “We need to make sure we think about how changes to
million years, even with major changes in temperature our rivers, especially our limited prairie rivers, will impact
and water chemistry. They’re really not that fragile until our fish and wildlife.”
you cut their system – their habitat – in half. Even with the challenge of shrinking habitat, Oklahoma
“Right now, Oklahoma’s Arkansas and Red rivers form remains one of few places that can support these unique
the southwestern boundary of their range, and we’re on fish. “It’s amazing that we have fish — fish that some peo-
the knife’s edge of having stretches of prairie river long ple don’t even know exist — right here in Jenks, Oklahoma,”
enough to support these sturgeon.” Johnston said. “If you think about it, documentaries like
Similar to other prairie river fish, shovelnose sturgeon Planet Earth could be made in our state, and fish like shov-
rely on long stretches of free-flowing water that keep elnose are so cool, they could make the cut.”
their developing young oxygenated and afloat. Once the (This project was funded by the Wildlife Department through the federally
eggs hatch, the young sturgeon, known as fry, need to funded State Wildlife Grants Program, Grant F13AF01276.)

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