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FeedA GARgantuan fish introduced by DNR
Hearing this news, I suspect few Illinois residents will want to take a summertime dip in Hennepin-Hopper lakes.
According to a news story in the LaSalle News Tribune, DNR has released alligator gars in HH.
"The alligator gar grows to 300 pounds and 10 feet long. Its broad jaws
are lined with jagged teeth. It once lived in the lower Illinois River but
habitat destruction drove it out," is how the newspaper describes the
fish.
DNR received some hatchlings from Kentucky and grew them in ponds, said Wayne Herndon, DNR fisheries biologist.
"We were trying to get (the gar to feed) on natural foods, basically
minnows, and at least get a few that were large enough that we could stock into other waters," Herndon said.
DNR placed 43 young alligator gar in September into Hennepin and Hopper Lakes, Herndon said.
The ferocious-looking fish can consume just about any other river
creature, including waterfowl. They are not known to attack people...but
still, I think I'll take my chances in the boat.
Read more about the alligator gar stocking in the Feb. 11 issue of
Illinois Outdoor News.
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