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Just Keep Swimming At the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery, researchers and conservationists aim to protect marine life and habitats STORY BY SARAH VAUGHAN | PHOTOS COURTESY OF MDWFP
THERE’S QUITE A BIT OF TRUTH IN THE OLD CHINESE
proverb, “Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime;” but there’s also something to be said for, “Teach a man to fish and he’ll endanger an entire species.” What was in the old days a source of sustenance is now a form of recreation, and with time, our natural food sources are being depleted. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species are possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century. With so many endangered fish species, what are we to do? The answer lies just west of Enid Lake on 58 acres of land leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery, where researchers and conservationists work side by side to protect endangered species and endangered habitats, learn more about fish diseases and how to prevent them, and restock state water sources of their depleted stock of marine life. The North Mississippi Fish Hatchery is comprised of a state-of-the-art facility, complete with a tank room, wet lab, office, staff rooms, maintenance shop, 16 1-acre production ponds, a settling pond, and a residence. The hatchery building houses 40 incubation jars and 36 holding/rearing tanks. Water used by the hatchery is supplied by two groundwater wells and a pipeline from Enid Lake. Water is produced through a system of filters, heaters, chillers, and degassing chambers. “We breed an average of 10 to 12 species a year at our state-of-the-art facility,” says Emily-Jo Wiggins, Director of the Education Center at the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery. “While we breed mostly sport fish, our biologists also determine what species are needed and where, and we then stock the fish species that are needed in particular locations. We also work species of special concern that are in danger or those that have a great need. This year we bred Southern walleye 20 SEPTEMBER 2017 | myclickmag.com