We are responsible for managing Ohio’s fish populations. Part of this management process is to conduct fish population surveys. Often, a small portion of the fish that are captured by staff are sacrificed for aging analysis or tissue collection.
Since 2018, our District 1 fish staff have provided Ohio Wildlife Center with fish carcasses that were leftover from tissue sampling for state fish consumption advisories. The meat from these fish is used for feeding raptors that are being rehabilitated, like Burton the bald eagle.
Aging a fish requires sacrifice because it involves removing their otolith, a bone-like structure located directly behind the brain of fish that grows in rings like on a tree.
Data collected from these surveys inform the Ohio Sport Fish Consumption Advisory: http://ow.ly/Bs4f50zJehs
