CATFISH ANGLERS SOUGHT TO HELP BIOLOGISTS

Tagged fish offer angler rewards, help biologists manage flathead catfish

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, is conducting a research project on the biology of flathead catfish in the Kansas River. Researchers at Kansas State University are currently tagging flathead catfish throughout the Kansas River with individually-numbered yellow tags inserted near the dorsal fin. Stamped on each tag is an email address, flathead@ksu.edu, and a phone number, 785-532-2413. Anglers who catch one of these tagged fish are asked to email or call using the above information and provide the tag number, date the fish was caught, weight of fish (in pounds), length of fish (in inches), and where on the river the fish was caught.

This information, coupled with sampling efforts by the researchers, will help determine the abundance, movement, harvest rates, and growth of flathead catfish in the Kansas River. Anglers who report catching tagged fish will then be placed in a drawing with a chance to win a digital camera ($300 value) or a catfish fishing pole ($150 value).
For more information regarding the project, visit the KDWP webpage ; contact Andy Makinster, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS; phone 785-532-2413; or email flathead@ksu.edu .
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