Last August, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries biologists conducted a study to evaluate how the agency’s past sampling methods affected alligator gar. As a continuation of evaluating the methods and estimating the population of alligator gar in the Red River, southwestern Arkansas district fisheries biologists set specialized nets in backwater pools of the Red River in early February. Overall, fisheries staff were able to catch over 50 fish in two days of running nets (right photo). The largest gar caught was over 7.5 feet long.
Biologists say that testing sampling methods can ensure the division is being efficient with its time and not having a negative impact on the fishery.
