I should add here that small craft will vary in location along this very long river as well as in season. Of course, the same is true anywhere with some semblance of seasons. In this case, I saw all these boats about two-thirds of the distance between New Orleans and Saint Paul MN, i.e., the south Upper Mississippi.
I’m guessing the boat below is a commercial fishing vessel, river style. I’d seen a similar boat traveling on a trailer down the street an hour or so earlier and wondered about that tank forward of the cockpit. I’m not surprised the two crew are as bundled up as they are, given the temperature was well below freezing.
A couple days later I saw this and assumed they were fishing again, until
they came closer and I read the USGS sign on the side. Hydrographic survey maybe?
Another USGS survey boat was operating a dozen miles to the north in Montrose IA.
Now this one still puzzles me.
The helmsman here drifted along the shore while another person was on the bow, but
what are the rings holding thin rods in the water? Only once was the net used, and that was to scoop out a “dead” or stunned fish but then after some examination, the crew member returned the fish to the water.
All photos and all questions, WVD.
Related: I love this 1981 documentary on life on the Ohio . . . produced by the University of Pittsburgh.
tugster: a waterblog 
7 comments
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March 30, 2023 at 11:25 am
lucienve
It’s an ‘Electrofisher’ for fish surveys – https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/fish-monitoring-via-electrofisher/
March 30, 2023 at 11:44 am
Tom Waller
That boat with rods is probably a shocker and the guys are surveying the stunned fish for one reason or another.
March 30, 2023 at 1:04 pm
tugster
lucienve and Tom Waller– I suspected this was the case, but I’d just never seen such and operation before. Thank you.
March 30, 2023 at 7:18 pm
adkscout
They are doing a fish study. The to poles and drop wires are electrified to shock the fish and stun them. They then turn belly up to make it easy to spot them and net them. I’ve done the same thing with ENCON Biologist on the Kateross.
March 30, 2023 at 7:27 pm
tugster
adkscout–Thx for confirming. I thought maybe those were electrodes in the water. Here’s another link: https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2020/03/01/tools-of-the-trade-electrofishing/#:~:text=How%20does%20electrofishing%20work%3F,the%20anode%2C%20fish%20are%20stunned. Btw, what is “kateross”?
April 1, 2023 at 9:09 am
Lew
Probably invasive carp / indigenous species measurements. USGS is working Bio-acoustic fish fence trials at L&D 19.
April 1, 2023 at 2:55 pm
Tom W.
It’s very likely that the electrofishers are doing research into how far Asian carp have made it up the Upper Mississippi. On the Illinois, they are as far up as Joliet, and they’re a true scourge. The USACE built an electric fish barrier at Romeoville in an effort to keep these things out of the Great Lakes, and another barrier is likely to be built at Brandon Road Lock at Joliet, and at Lock 19 at Keokuk. Here are a few links, have a look.
https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/7447/802453