Oklahoma Wildlife Biologists Track Dwindling Number Of Prehistoric Fish

Just west of Tulsa's skyline, prehistoric fish are living in the Arkansas River. Biologists say the Shovelnose Sturgeon is on the brink of being wiped out in Oklahoma.

The Wildlife Department is launching a new study to track the fish and is asking for your help.

The Shovelnose Sturgeon used to be a common catch here on the Arkansas River in Oklahoma, but over the decades, the species has dwindled. And biologists say their study could be vital to keeping that fish here in the state.

“They're a species of special concern and they're quite rare,” Josh Johnston said.

And they're also quite old.

Fisheries biologist Josh Johnston says the fish have been around about 100 million years.

“We really do have dinosaurs around, and these are living fossils out here,” he said.

But Johnston says they don't know much about these swimming dinosaurs, just that they've significantly declined in Oklahoma while flourishing elsewhere.

Johnston says the decline is likely due to the dam system, which he says is keeping the fish from traveling the long distances they need to survive and thrive.

“We've got 17 locks and dams between where we're standing right here and the Mississippi River, so they can go down, but coming up is as close to impossible as you're gonna get,” Johnston said.

So his team is out in the water every day trying to catch the uncommon fish for a new study and they are using a high-tech tagging system.

“We've got the ultrasonic tags and they will go in the abdomen of these fish,” he said.

The plan is to tag 25 and track their movement, see where they like to hang out and what they need to survive. One video came from an underwater survey on the Arkansas River a few years back. Turns out getting the video of the prehistoric fish is easier than catching one.

Biologists are using all sorts of nets and lines to reel a few in, but haven't had any luck. However, regulars on the Arkansas River do catch the funny looking fish from time to time.

“It's usually when they're using a worm or fishing on the bottom,” Johnston said.

The hope now is that anyone who catches a Shovelnose Sturgeon along the 130-mile stretch between the Keystone Dam and Webbers Falls -- will call Johnston personally.

Just keep the fish in the water and he'll come pick it up to be tagged, which eventually could lead to saving the species here in Oklahoma.

“We need to know more so we can manage this population,” he said. “They've been around a hundred million years. I mean, they've made it through some crazy, crazy stuff. We'd hate for it to be us that just flushed them down completely.”

There is a pretty tight deadline for the biologists. They need to have 25 Shovelnose Sturgeon tagged by the end of October. They could use any help they can get. If you have any information or see one of these prehistoric fish, please call Johnston at 918-346-3220 or 918-299-2334.