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Genoa National Fish Hatchery News and NotesGenoa National Fish Hatchery News and Notes
July 2017July 2017
United Special Sportsman Alliance Summerfest 2017!
The United Special Sportsman Alliance hosted its annual Summerfest weekend
in July and hundreds gathered to take part in the special event held for families
of children with disabilities and disabled veterans from all over. Genoa Na-
tional Fish Hatchery (NFH)
continued its tradition of partic-
ipating in the yearly event and
had a booth with display fish,
freshwater mussels, an aquari-
um with live fish, and educa-
tional outreach information
available. Staff from the hatch-
ery interacted with kids and
adults and taught native fish
and freshwater mussel identifi-
cation, the missions of the hatch-
ery were explained to identify
how the hatchery helps in the
world of conservation. Summer-
fest is an event that directly correlates to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service mis-
sion of protecting and enhancing our aquatic resources and connecting children
and adults with nature initiatives that Genoa NFH proudly supports. Connecting
children and adults with natural resources helps to develop an appreciation and
connection that will assist preserving natural resources for generations to come.
USSA is a non-profit “dream-wish granting charity that specialized in sending
children and veterans with life threatening illness’s and disabilities on the outdoor
adventure of their dreams. The annual Summerfest event offers family’s an oppor-
tunity to enjoy the outdoors, meet new friends and families, and enjoy multiple
days with fun fill activities. This year’s attractions included firearm education
and .22 rifle target practice, archery, watercraft rides, fishing, swimming, axe
throwing, arts and crafts, wood burning, treasure hunts, cranberry bog tours, hand
drawn portraits, an inflatable bouncy house, prize booths, horse drawn wagon
rides, and a bb gun exhibit and target practice. Items supplied by the USSA for
the event included all food and drinks, sporting equipment including all fishing
gear, guns and archery equipment for the shooting ranges, life jackets, and tents
for camping. For more information regarding USSA please visit their website at
http://childswish.org/
By: Aaron Von Eschen
About Genoa NFH
Genoa NFH was estab-lished over 80 years ago by the Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Act. The mission of the hatchery has changed from providing sport fish for area waters to a con-servation hatchery con-cerned with the recovery of endangered aquatic species. The hatchery is open for tours during business hours. For large groups, please call for an appoint-ment. You can reach the hatchery at 608-689-2605 from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. You can also find us online at: fws.gov/midwest/genoa
And on Facebook at: facebook.com/GenoaNFH
Summerfest-goer enjoys learning fish ID
Genoa News and Notes July 2017 Page 2
The Mystery Has Been Solved For the last twenty years the white whale of mussel conservation has been the
host for the larvae of the spectaclecase mussel (Cumberlandia monodonta).
This Federally Endangered species has been the focus of host trials conducted
from Minnesota, south to Arkansas and east to Virginia and more than 40 spe-
cies of fish, salamanders and even aquatic insect larvae have been tested.
Last year in collaboration with the USGS at the Upper Midwest Environmen-
tal Science Center (UMESC) in La Crosse we tested a total of eighteen spe-
cies without determining a host. This winter we re-evaluated our target spe-
cies list and acquired thirteen new species to inoculate with spectaclecase lar-
vae. We were able to collect gravid spectaclecase from the St. Croix River on
June 1st and initiate host tests on the 3rd and 6th. Ultimately these tests also
yielded negative results. While our trials were being conducted a host was
found by our partners in Minnesota. Biologists at the Center for Aquatic Mol-
lusk Programs (CAMP) in Lake City, MN were able to determine that both
the mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) and goldeye (Hiodon alosoides) are suitable
hosts for the larvae of the spectaclecase. When this was announced our part-
ners at UMESC acted quickly to ensure that mooneye were sampled during
shocking efforts to look for naturally encysted spectaclecase larvae. Two
goldeye were collected in their electro-shocking efforts and each was con-
firmed to be naturally infested with spectaclecase larvae. This confirmed that
wild populations are using the host that was identified in the lab. It turns out
that mooneye and goldeye are such good hosts that the MN DNR produced
more juveniles than they have space to grow. They graciously offered to
share animals with us and we received 20,000 newly metamorphosed juvenile
specta-
clecase in
two sepa-
rate ship-
ments. We
split these
animals be-
tween several sediment tanks and our
MARS trailer. We hope that we can be suc-
cessful rearing them eventually releasing
them when they reach sufficient size. We
want to thank the MN DNR for sharing their
results and juveniles with us. With this dis-
covery we can now focus on other aspects of
recovery for this challenging species. By
Megan Bradley and Nathan Eckert
Genoa National Fish Hatchery’s mission is to recover, restore, maintain and enhance fish and aquatic re-sources on a basin-wide and national level by producing over 35 aquatic species of vary-ing life stages, partici-pating in active conser-vation efforts with our partners, and becoming a positive force in the community by educating future generations on the benefits of conser-vation stewardship
Pictures clockwise from top: Interstate Park on the St.
Croix where brooding spectaclecase were found this
year. A cooler full of adult spectaclecase; you can see
their feet out as they reorient themselves. Two juvenile
spectaclecase that came back to the boat because they
were attached by byssal thread to adults.
Genoa News and Notes July 2017 Page 3
YCC Enrollees Partner for Conservation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers a wide variety
of opportunity and experience for young adults to peak
interest in pursuing a career path related to natural and
aquatic resource management. These opportunities for
some come as early as high school through the Youth
Conservation Program (YCC). The YCC program was
established for young adults to accomplish conservation
work on public lands, provide gainful employment experi-
ence and to develop an understanding and appreciation for
natural resources. This year YCC crew members from
Genoa National Fish Hatchery visited Necedah National
Wildlife Refuge to lend a helping hand on some projects
taking place at the refuge and to expose themselves to an-
other area of conservation. YCC crew members from
both facilities partnered to strip paint off an existing ref-
uge building in preparation for a new paint job to
update the building. Afterwards YCC’s from Gen-
oa NFH were given a tour of the refuge and were
able to observe endangered whooping cranes and
other wildlife. Later in the summer YCC crew
members from Necedah visited the hatchery to help
Genoa’s YCC crew and staff with nature trail
maintenance. Flooding has caused extensive dam-
age to the hatchery’s nature trail the past couple of
years and the Necedah YCC crews have played an
important role in helping to repair the damage.
Following the trail makeover Necedah YCC crew
members were given a tour of the facility to see
what takes place at the hatchery and the efforts it
takes towards conservation of fish, mussels, and
monarch butterflies. Partnerships amongst the refuge
and hatchery give these young people an opportunity
to experience both career fields of conservation. The
YCC program gives students hands-on experience
related to fish and wildlife management and the op-
portunity to explore future career options. As the
summer draws to an end and school begins, the staff
at Genoa thanks the YCC’s at the hatchery and the
refuge alike for their hard work and dedication. By:
Aaron Von Eschen YCC crews hard at work at Necedah NWR
YCC crews at Necedah NWR
YCC crews pose after trail maintenance at Genoa
NFH
Genoa News and Notes July 2017 Page 4
Fish Hatchery Sets Up for RAGBRAI RAGBRAI, The Register’s An-
nual Great Bicycle Ride Across
Iowa, is an annual seven day
bicycle ride across the state of
Iowa held during the last week
in July. It holds the honor of
being the oldest, largest, and
longest recreational bike tour-
ing event in the world. It began
in 1973 as a six day ride across
Iowa by members of the Des
Moines Register and has grown
to include participants from all
50 states and many foreign
countries. The route varies
each year and averages over
460 miles beginning along the
western border and ending on
the eastern border of Iowa.
Thousands of volunteers make
the event possible as well as
communities along the route
serving as host communities to
the riders. This year’s route
ended on the eastern Iowa border town of Lansing just south of the Genoa National Fish Hatchery. As part of
the ending celebration of arriving riders the Genoa National Fish Hatchery took place in the event by setting
up a display booth and aquari-
um and interacted with people
who were completing the ride
as well as family members who
were awaiting the arrival of
their RAGBRAI participants.
Many people stopped by to visit
the hatchery set up and interact-
ed with staff about its mission
and conservation efforts. Edu-
cational conservation and out-
reach items were also available
to visitors. Events such as this
allow USFWS members to con-
nect people with nature and in
doing so accomplish a portion
of the missing of the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service. By: Aaron
Von Eschen
Setting up for RAGBRAI
Genoa’s set up complete with a
touch tank and fish on sticks!
Genoa News and Notes July 2017 Page 5
The Facts of Life….Hatchery Style Last November, Genoa NFH transferred 145 larvae to
the University of South Dakota for further study and
for placement in emergent cages the following spring.
The rest of the larvae were kept on station over the
winter in the hatchery pond after the great success the
station had the year before. The expectation this
spring was to once again see approximately 95% sur-
vival... reality was unfortunately no survivors. After
placing the cages in the exact same spot as the year
before, near fresh water and the airstone, water quality
did not seem to be the issue. Once the temperature
logger was downloaded, a possible explanation
emerged. Genoa experienced a very mild winter and
in addition, there were 3 distinct warm ups in the late
winter/early spring, with big swings in pond temperatures. While the larvae can usually handle swings in tem-
peratures, it is not known whether they would have come in and out of the dormant stage and if that might
have been a stressor causing the mortality. The out of the ordinary year continued with the egg collections.
During the summer months of 2016, collection efforts for the adults and eggs only yielded a few hundred eggs
as compared to a couple thousand in years past. As the eggs were held in captivity, a number of them devel-
oped much faster than expected, hatching out and growing enough to reach the final pre-emergent stage by the
end of the summer. To avoid literally putting all the eggs in one basket, the slower developing larvae were
transferred to 3 rearing locations: Genoa NFH, Illinois Dragonfly Research Facility (ILDRF) and the Urban
Stream Research Center (USRC). The station received 20 larvae in May, they were weighed and measured and
placed immediately in the pond cages. The mild winter, early pond warm up in the spring and with the larvae
at an advanced stage of development, 2 larvae attempted to emerge within the first month. After the monthly
inventory measuring size and weight, an additional 11 larvae were transferred to the ILDRF for placement in
emergent cages.
The remaining
larvae are contin-
uing to grow well
on station and
will be trans-
ferred at the end
of the summer.
To date, egg col-
lections seem to
be more normal
this year, with a
number of them
in captivity al-
ready and with-
out the early
hatching seen last
year. By Angela
Baran Dagendesh
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
11/1/2016 12/1/2016 1/1/2017 2/1/2017 3/1/2017
HED Over Winter Pond Temperature FY 2017
A graph depicting temperature fluctuations in the HED pond over winter
Weight along with head and body measurements are taken to
track growth of HED throughout the summer
Genoa News and Notes July 2017 Page 6
Genoa’s Archery Program
Genoa welcomed students from the local YMCA for a tour of the hatchery and a day of archery. Hatchery
staff members have partnered with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to offer students a
chance to experience archery as part of the hatchery outdoor classroom. Archery is a great tool to get children
outdoors. Hatchery staff biologist (Orey Eckes) recently was certified as a basic archery instructor trainer. This
training will allow other people at the hatchery, friends group members and anyone interest in becoming an
archery instructor to become certified to hold archery events.
Sturgeon Tagging Begins!!
Genoa Fish Hatchery relies on volunteers and friends members to
accomplish the task of tagging our lake sturgeon. Each sturgeon before stocking is indi-
vidually tagged by a coded wire tagging machine. This allows biologist to track growth
and survival rates after stocking. Thank You friends and volunteers for all your help!!!
Archery students waiting for commands Great shot! Students retrieve arrows to see what they hit!
Volunteer Don Schrader
comes back for the 2017
sturgeon tagging season
Volunteers hard at
work tagging stur-
geon!!
Genoa News and Notes January 2017 Page 7
Peshtigo River Lake Sturgeon Project USFWS Ecological Services Biologists from the Bloomington,
MN regional office joined hatchery staff to collect final water
samples and blood and tissue samples for analysis of emerging
contaminants. This study, supported by Great Lakes Restora-
tion Initiative, focuses on evaluating contaminants of emerging
concern within the Great Lakes basin. Examples include
chemicals found in pharmaceuticals and personal care prod-
ucts. These chemicals can alter hormone levels causing repro-
ductive declines in aquatic life. As this project wraps up for the
year the hatchery is hopeful to join forces in the future raising
fish from other rivers for this project.
Fish Health Inspections
Staff from the LaCrosse Fish Health Center sampled our lake sturgeon and other pond fish to certify them dis-
ease free prior to stocking. The Fish Health center analyzes for bacteria and other viruses that could be present
in the fish. They make sure our fish are healthy before they are stocked into public waters.
By Orey Eckes
Fish Hea;th team from the LaCrosse Fish Health Center sampling lake sturgeon and other
pond fish for their health certification before heading off station
Carefully removing tissue sam-
ple for testing
Ecological Services biologist taking blood
and tissue samples from sturgeon spawned at
the Peshtigo River
Genoa News and Notes January 2017 Page 8
Genoa Boosts Tribes Plan to Build Tribal Hatchery Fish hatcheries have changed over time and the Genoa National Fish Hatchery is no exception. The hatchery
was originally built with the intention of increasing bass and panfish populations. During the 50's, river species
composition changed with the
changes in the Upper Mississippi
River system's nine foot naviga-
tion channel. The locks modified
the River to more of a channel
based fish population, expanding
walleye and northern pike popu-
lations. Fish culture methods also
emerged for these species at this
time and the hatchery changed its
role to assisting state game agen-
cies increase these species in
their waters. Then the Fish and
Wildlife Service's mission was
further refined by the passing of
the Endangered Species Act in
1973. This began to define the
role of fish hatcheries as a recov-
ery tool that could be used to in-
crease endangered aquatic species chances of survival and reduce the threat of extinction. This has caused a
retooling of sorts over the years in our culture buildings as new species have differing rearing requirements.
The new rearing units displaced six 3 x 15 feet rearing tanks, one 6 x 30 foot raceway and one 200 gallon dis-
tribution unit. One of our other mission goals is to assist Native American tribes in their fish and wildlife man-
agement programs on tribal lands. Through contact with our tribal partners, we knew that The Mille Lacs Band
of Ojibwe of Central Minnesota is currently trying to build a tribal hatchery. The tribe was contacted to see if
they were interested in receiving some tanks for their new hatchery. They were indeed interested, and Jeff
Lockington made the first of two
trips to the tribe to drop off his
precious cargo. The tanks were
moved successfully even through
challenging Twin Cities traffic,
and tribal officials were very glad
to receive them. Not only were we
able to recycle some of our un-
needed equipment and have it put
to good use, but we were able to
meet our mission goal of assisting
the Tribes. By Doug Aloisi
New tanks being offloaded at Genoa National Fish Hatchery
Second load ready for departure to the
Mille Lacs band
Genoa News and Notes July 2017 Page 9
Upcoming calendar of events
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
September 2017
NCTC-Welcome to Stepping Up to Leadership Cohort
NCTC– Freshwater mussel propagation for Conservation
Elkador IA senior
citizens tour
Labor Day
Rainy River
Lake Sturgeon
to MN DNR
Rydell Harvest
Winged Maple
Leaf mussel
dive
Winged Maple
Leaf mussel dive
Melrose-Mindoro
school tour