Next Meeting Announcement: The SDAFS Alligator Gar Technical Committee will hold its 2012 meeting in conjunction with the 2012 SDAFS Annual Meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi at the IP Casino Resort and Spa. The Alligator Gar Technical Committee Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 26, 2012, in Room H of the Conference Facilities in the IP. Important topics for this meeting will include Agency/State/University updates and informal presentations, discussions on proposed basin wide management efforts, and a guest speaker. This year, because of time constraints, we will keep presentations somewhat informal (i.e., do not feel obligated to produce a 15-20 minute powerpoint).
If someone wishes to share information that requires a 15-20 powerpoint presentation and time slot, we can accommodate a few (3-4 at most) requests. However, these will be limited and will be accommodated on a first come basis. For those of you needing additional time slots, please submit your request to me by C.O.B. on January 13, 2012. For all other update information (e.g. Agency/State/University), please keep the time limited. Again, this is due to limited time constraints, especially in the morning session. The afternoon session will be obligated to our guest speaker and proposed basin wide management efforts.
Also this year, the Alligator Gar Technical Committee is hosting a workshop. The workshop will be held on Friday, January 27, 2012 and is titled: Telemetry/tagging techniques and sonar sensing/habitat assessment technologies. The intent of the workshop is to provide a convenient and less distracted environment for researchers to be introduced to, and become familiar with, advancements of multiple telemetry/tagging gear types and sonar sensing and habitat assessment technologies. Vendors from various companies will be in attendance to present information and discuss their products. Hopefully, this workshop will provide an excellent opportunity for fisheries professionals to interact with vendors and to discuss specific research needs by utilizing the most recent technological advancements in fisheries monitoring. The workshop will be from 9am-3pm (FYI - times have not yet been updated on the SDAFS Meeting website) and is open to everyone. Registration for this workshop is $30 for professionals/$15 for students. Workshop information can be found below.
I have attached a tentative agenda for the meeting. Please feel free to contact me, Lindsey Lewis, or Allyse Ferrara if you have questions regarding the meeting or workshop. I look forward to seeing everyone in Biloxi. Please go to the Southern Division Meeting Page for more information at the Meeting Page and click here for the Meeting Agenda.
Lee Holt
Telemetry/tagging techniques and sonar sensing/habitat assessment technologies (full day)
Facilitators: Allyse Ferrara/Lee Holt/Lindsey Lewis.
Cost: $30 for professionals / $15 for students
Time: 8:00 am-5 pm
Max number of participants: 55
Description: The goal of this workshop is to provide a convenient and less distracted environment for researchers to be introduced to, and become familiar with, advancements of multiple telemetry/tagging gear types and sonar sensing and habitat assessment technologies. Vendors from various companies will be in attendance to present information and discuss their products. This workshop will provide an excellent opportunity for fisheries professionals to interact with vendors and to discuss specific research needs by utilizing the most recent technological advancements in fisheries monitoring.
Target Audience: This workshop is aimed at students and professionals interested in general tagging approaches and is coordinated by the Alligator Gar Technical Committee.
Background required: None.
The latest official information on the new Mississippi State Trophy Fish alligator gar record caught in the Yazoo River, Mississippi:
PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
Photo Credit: Allen Katzenmeyer, US Army Corps of Engineers
Robert Belk(orange shirt) and Randy Rippy shot the fish at the same time. Taylor Belk (son) shot it first, but the arrow bounced off.
Total Length- 7 foot 2 inches
Girth 43 ½"
Sex - female
Certified Weight 234 lbs
Robert Belk (orange shirt) and Randy Rippy shot this 234 pound Alligator Gar while bowfishing on 6/24/2011 in the Yazoo River (Warren Co. Mississippi) below the Hwy 465 bridge just downstream from the Steele Bayou water control structure.
This alligator gar, when certified, will be the new State Trophy Fish record for Alligator Gar. The State Trophy Fish List is for fish caught on any sport fishing gear (jugs, yoyos, trotlines, bowfishing) that is not a rod and reel catch. The previous State Trophy Fish Record for alligator gar was 175 pounds set in 1993.
Tissue samples were taken for future genetic testing.
UPDATE - The 2011 SDAFS Alligator Gar Technical Committee Meeting was a great success. Thank you to everyone that worked so hard on organizing the meeting, presenting, and providing a fantastic fish fry. The Tennessee folks really went above and beyond with their hospitality.
Meeting information, minutes, photos, and presentations from the meeting will be posted on the site as they become available. Check back often for updates on the Meeting Page.
Here is the latest official information on the alligator gar recently caught in Chotard Lake, Mississippi:
FOR PHOTOS CLICK HERE
Total Length (TL) – 254.7 cm (8 feet 5 ¼ inches)
Standard Length (SL) – 214.6 cm (7 feet 11 1/16 inches)
Girth – 121.8 cm or 47.95 inches
Weight on 2/15/11 – 327 pounds
Caught in a net on 2/14/11 at Chotard Lake, Mississippi (an oxbow lake of the Mississippi River)
Caught by a Commercial fisherman's net on February 14, 2011.
Donated to MS
Museum of Natural Science for permanent display.
Official Contact:
Dennis Riecke, CFP
Fisheries/Environmental Coordinator
Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries & Park
1505 Eastover Dr.
Jackson, MS 39211-6374
v. 601-432-2207
f. 601-432-2203v
E-mail: dennisr@mdwfp.state.ms.us
Information on the new Oklahoma state hook and line record alligator gar: Click Here for Photos and more info.
James Tucker of Ardmore pulled in a 192-pound, 1-ounce alligator gar Jan. 27 from the Red River in Love County, establishing a new state record. The record-breaking fish measured seven feet, seven and a half inches long and was an impressive three feet, three inches in girth. Tucker snagged the monstrous fish about 10 a.m. using a 65-pound test line.
UPDATE - The Southern Division American Fisheries Society Alligator Gar Technical Committee will hold its 2011 Spring Meeting in Dyersburg, Tennessee on May 25th – 26th, 2011. Go to the Meetings Page for further details.
Check out this great new Lepisosteid Website: Lepisosteidae.net
We now have full Technical Committee status within the Southern Division American Fishery Society. I appreciate everyone being patient as we worked through this process. I want to especially thank Steve Lochman, Quenton Fontenot and Fred Jansen for providing much needed guidance and support in this effort.
I continue to be amazed with all of the accomplishments that have came about in the past few years that focus, or support, the management of alligator gar populations throughout their native range. My hat is off to each of you. The resource managers, professors, students and other conservation partners that contributed to these achievments. I look forward to working with everyone in the future. Please do not hesitiate to call if I can ever be of assistance.
Take Care,
Ricky Campbell, Technical Committee President
Hatchery Manager
USFWS - Pvt. John Allen NFH
Tupelo Mississippi
The 2011 Meeting of the International Network for Lepisosteid Fish
Research and management will be held in conjunction with the 2011
Aquaculture America meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana (28 Feb-3 March
2011;
https://www.was.org/WasMeetings/meetings/Default.aspx?code=AA2011).
The
Network business meeting will be held at the end of the "Ancient Fishes"
session. Please consider submitting an abstract for the Ancient Fishes
session. If you have already done so, please send me an e-mail that
includes your abstract so that I can add your presentation to the
Ancient Fishes session. Abstract submission deadlines have been
extended for Aquaculture America in New Orleans. Please submit your
abstract online at _www.was.org_ (http://www.was.org/) by 30
September 2010. Hope to see you in New Orleans!
La 2011 Reunión de la Red Internacional para la Investigación de Pez de
Lepisosteid será tenida en conjunción con la 2011 reunión de la
Acuacultura América en New Orleans, Louisiana (28 Feb-3 Marzo 2011;
https://www.was.org/WasMeetings/meetings/Default.aspx?code=AA2011).
La reunión del negocio de la Red será tenida a fines de la "Sesión de
Peces Antiguas". Considere por favor sometiéndose un sumario para la
Sesión de Peces Antiguas. Si usted ya ha hecho así, por favor me envía
un correo electrónico que incluye su sumario/resumen para que pueda
agregar su presentación a la Sesión de Peces Antiguas. Las fechas topes
abstractas de la sumisión han sido extendidas para la Acuacultura
América en Nueva Orleans. Sométase por favor su sumario/resumen en
línea en _www.was.org_ (http://www.was.org/) por 30 Septiembre 2010.
¡La esperanza para verle en Nueva Orleans!
New regulations have been implemented in Arkansas as of Jan. 1. The new regulations and permit requirements can be found at: http://www.agfc.com/fishing/rules-regulations-fishing/statewide-limits-fishing.aspx
SDAFS Alligator Gar Ad-hoc Technical Committee Meeting Minutes from the May 26, 2010 meeting in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Click Here
