Featured Species
The Oklahoma Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office is working with federal, state, and private partners to monitor and restore paddlefish, leopard darter, Arkansas River shiner, peppered chub, alligator snapping turtle and alligator gar. We are currently monitoring the Red and Arkansas River systems of Oklahoma for invasive carp. Invasive carp include bighead, silver, grass, and black carp. We also collect adult paddlefish annually for Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery to spawn in order to produce offspring to reintroduce. We aid Missouri State University by completing post-stocking monitoring of alligator snapping turtles in Oklahoma. Other projects include annual snorkel surveys with multiple partners to monitor the threatened leopard darter. Annual seine surveys are completed on the South Canadian River to monitor the threatened Arkansas River shiner and peppered chub.