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Commentary: Illinois biologist says investments on Upper Mississippi River should have fish ‘jumping for joy’

Illinois DNR Coordinator Ollie Mendenhall and Conservation Police Officer Karl Wheatley with flathead catfish on the Mississippi River. (Photo by Matt O’Hara)

As a fisheries biologist for 32 years in Illinois, there are few songs that actually I can relate to my job. The Doobie Brothers classic “Black Water” is one of those tunes.
In my experiences on the river, I have not encountered “catfish jumping,” but they may start “jumping for joy” with the ongoing investments being made on the Upper Mississippi River.

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