What is the smallest and largest fish in the Mississippi River?
The smallest adult size fish is the madtom catfish. This catfish species does not exceed 2-3 inches long. Many minnow species are 2-3 inches long. One of the largest fish is also in the catfish family. Flathead and blue catfish have been known to exceed 100 pounds. Paddlefish and lake sturgeon, weighing in at an average 100 pounds, would also be a pretty good catch. Luke Jacob asks: • How many fish are tagged a year? The number of fish tagged in a year varies considerably and depends upon the number of studies performed by the DNR. One station may tag as many as 5,000 fish in one year. Sometimes the DNR radio tags the fish. This is a more specific tagging and requires fewer (only 25-30 fish) subjects. Regular tags are small plastic pieces placed at the dorsal fin. These devices track movement, determine population, and fish harvest rates. The radio tags track the fish on a daily basis to study where they live and feed. Once this is determined, these habitats are then protected and impr
