News Release

Forest Preserves of Cook County, Veterinarians from Brookfield Zoo Surgically
Implant Fish with Transmitters

Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) and Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) staff spent the morning of May 7 implanting radio transmitter chips into fish species for research purposes at McGinnis Field Station in Orland Park.

Fish taken from Busse Lake, part of Busse Woods, in Elk Grove Village will be tracked and studied by the FPCC in order to better understand seasonal migration and habitat usage.

The procedure was performed in several stages. After being transported to McGinnis Field Station, the fish were sedated by CZS veterinarians and were out of the water for approximately 30 minutes. A transmitter, which can be as small as a pencil eraser and as large as thumb depending on the size of the fish, was surgically implanted into the fish and the incision was then sutured. The fish recover for several weeks at the field station where they are tagged and then eventually released back into their original habitat for monitoring.

“Chicago Zoological Society’s collaboration with the Forest of Preserves of Cook County fisheries conservation efforts has spanned more than a decade, said Jennifer Langan, senior staff veterinarian for the Chicago Zoological Society and clinical associate professor at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. “Over that time, we’ve provided anesthetic and surgical expertise and assistance; helping to place special transmitters into bass, walleye and muskies.” 

Six fish—four muskies, a walleye, and a bass—received transmitters that have their own unique frequency for data collection. The date from the transmitters will provide crucial information about where these fish spawn and how they use the habitat in the forest preserves. This in turn helps FPCC biologists preserve and develop the right type of habitat, in the most important locations to ensure that the fish populations flourish and remain healthy.

 “As the bodies of water at the Forest Preserves are man-made lakes, understanding how the fish use their habitats is valuable information that will help us improve their conditions and ensure their vitality in Cook County,” said Chris Anchor, senior wildlife biologist for the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

Implanting the transmitters started as a way for FPCC Fisheries staff to detect when female fish were approaching the shoreline to lay eggs. The eggs are collected in order to be reared at FPCC hatcheries. That effort evolved, and since 2012 the data is used to gain a broader understanding of how fish use the bodies of water in which they live. It is especially important to evaluate date from this work over multiple years which is vital to recognizing trends and changes over time.

PHOTO DOWNLOAD
Photo Credit: Lisa Miller/Chicago Zoological Society

X5A3188.jpg: Chicago Zoological Society veterinary staff prepare a walleye prior to surgically implanting it with a transmitter. The fish will spend several weeks at the field station before being released back into its original habitat at Busse Lake in Elk Grove Village for monitoring by the Forest Preserves of Cook County biologists.

X5A3373.jpg: Jennifer Langan, senior staff veterinarian for the Chicago Zoological Society and clinical associate professor at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, holds a transmitter that will be surgically placed in a fish. Once released back to its habitat at Busse Lake, the biologists from the Forest Preserves of Cook County will be able to monitor it and five other fish that received transmitters. The data will provide valuable information that will help biologists improve the fishes’ conditions and ensure their vitality.

3792.jpg: A largemouth bass is placed in an anesthetic bath in order for Chicago Zoological Society veterinary staff to be able to surgically implant the fish with a transmitter. Once the fish recovers at the field station, it will be released back to its habitat in Busse Lake where biologists from the Forest Preserves of Cook County will monitor it.

4875.jpg: A muskie that successfully had a transmitter surgically implanted in her will be released back to her habitat at Busse Lake in the near future. Once back in the lake, fisheries staff from the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) will be able to monitor and track the fish during breeding season. Her eggs will be collected in order to be reared at the FPCC hatcheries.