Projects and Research
The Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery has continuously worked to develop, modify, and research the most effective and efficient methods to spawn, produce, rear, raise, release, monitor, and assess threatened, endangered, at-risk, and native species. Improving these methods for species such as Alligator Gar, Lake Sturgeon, and Gulf Coast Walleye, the hatchery has also shifted its focus towards small bodied freshwater fishes that are native to the state of Mississippi, and are at-risk species; such as, Yazoo Darter, Pearl Darter, Piebald Madtom, and Frecklebelly Madtom. The hatchery continuously develops new culture systems to propagate these at-risk species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working to restore alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) populations in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Gar are not currently federally-listed as threatened or endangered. However, in some areas their populations have substantially decreased over the past 50 years prompting most states within their historic range to enact...