Mississippi

KILLGORE: Mississippi River’s Largest Freshwater Fish – The Alligator Gar – The Vicksburg Post

Published

2 months ago

November 6, 2024

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KILLGORE: Mississippi River’s Largest Freshwater Fish – The Alligator Gar

Published 7:54 pm Wednesday, November 6, 2024

: Pictured is the largest Alligator Gar caught in the state of Mississippi. This fish was caught in Lake Chotard in 2011, weighing 327 pounds! Lake Chotard is an oxbow lake north of Vicksburg connected to the Mississippi River.
Photo credit Todd Slack, MDWFP.

You may be surprised that the largest, freshwater fish in North America may be swimming in the Mississippi River under the I-20/Hwy. 80 bridges at Vicksburg as you are reading this. The Alligator Gar is a monster-sized fish, capable of exceeding 300 pounds described as a beautifully grotesque fish in Mark Spitzer’s book “Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West.” Many scientists refer to Alligator Gar as a “living fossil” because they have remained relatively unchanged for over a 100 million years. The broad snout and double row of upper teeth resemble an alligator, hence their name.

During most of the 1900’s, Alligator Gar were considered a “trash fish,” essentially useless, and possibly damaging to the environment, similar to carp. Because of their size and voracious appetites, fisherman assumed they were eating their prized sportfish, like Largemouth Bass, crappie, and Bluegill. They were targeted for elimination by state wildlife agencies and the numbers of Alligator Gar quickly diminished. More recently, scientific studies have shown that this species primarily eats forage fish, like Gizzard Shad, and also occasionally enjoys an unwary duck or a feisty beaver swimming along the surface.

Modern ecology has warned us not to eliminate apex predators from the environment without unintended consequences. Maybe that is one reason invasive carp continue to spread throughout the Mississippi River basin – there are no natural predators large enough to consume that many carp to make a difference in their growing numbers, except maybe the Alligator Gar. Now, state and federal agencies are stocking these fish back into their native ranges and numbers are steadily increasing.

Who wouldn’t want to catch a 300-pound fish? Actually, the Mississippi state rod and reel record is 215 pounds, bow and arrow record is 234 pounds, but the largest Alligator Gar caught in the state was in Lake Chotard in 2011, right upstream from Vicksburg, weighing 327 pounds!

Not only are Alligator Gar fun to catch, many people enjoy eating them like Cajun gar balls, usually fried, and I have heard that the backstrap is delicious. A word of caution – do not eat the greenish eggs for they are toxic to humans. But there are other uses. For those of you who live close to the Mississippi River during the spring, I recently read that gar oil was used by the people of Arkansas as a repellant for those pesky buffalo gnats coming from the river to bite you and leave week-long sores on your skin after they consume your blood to nourish their developing eggs. On a lighter note, the serrated ganoid scales that cover the fish, resembling a coat of armor, are used to fashion jewelry such as necklaces.

Folks sometimes ask if it’s safe to swim in the Mississippi River. During the summer, the Louisiana shore across from Vicksburg often resembles the Mississippi Gulf coast during spring break with boats tied together, umbrellas lining the beach, and people wading, swimming, and riding their jet-powered water bikes. The Mississippi River may have more sandy beaches than all of the beaches in Florida combined.

So other than an occasional bull shark (that’s another story), I am not aware of any other fish in the Mississippi River that will intentionally attack a human including Alligator Gar. In fact, Jeremy Wade of “River Monsters” concluded in one of his shows that there has never been any evidence that Alligator Gar attacked or killed humans.

Alligator Gar are a keystone species roaming around in America’s greatest river providing recreational fishing opportunities, food for humans, and control of invasive species. Maybe you will encounter one of these “beautifully grotesque” fish one day.

Jack Killgore, Ph.D., is a resident of Vicksburg. Prior to retirement, he was a long-time employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ERDC). He also serves as an enrichment speaker on the Viking Mississippi and teaches river science courses at Tulane University. He can be reached at kjkillgore@gmail.com.

Read his first column, “How Deep is the Mississippi River?,“ by clicking here.

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Mississippi

Poultry from Mississippi chicken flock tests positive for bird flu

Published

14 minutes ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

Poultry from Mississippi chicken flock tests positive for bird flu

COPIAH COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – Poultry from a commercial broiler chicken flock in Copiah County has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu.

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health announced the news on Tuesday, saying it had received notification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

In response, the state veterinarian has quarantined the affected area, and the birds on the property have been “depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.”

Birds from the flock have not entered the food system, MBAH stated.

According to the agency, avian influenza does not present a food safety risks, and poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly.

All poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as a safety precaution.

MBAH states that avian influenza in birds can cause sudden death; lack of energy or appetite; decreased egg production; soft-shelled or misshapen eggs; swelling or purple discoloration of head, eyelids, comb, hocks; nasal discharge; coughing; sneezing; incoordination; and diarrhea.

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Mississippi

JSU’s Sonic Boom and State of MS to participate in Rose Parade

Published

8 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

JSU’s Sonic Boom and State of MS to participate in Rose Parade

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – All eyes will be glued to the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade on Wednesday, with Mississippians entertaining crowds along the parade route.

Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South and Mississippi’s musical legacy appear on the national stage, showing why we’re the birthplace of American music.

“Here on the biggest of stages is an incredible opportunity for us,” said Governor Tate Reeves.

He and the First Family are in Pasadena, California, and will be atop the state float during the 136th Rose Parade.

Adorned with 13,000 yellow roses, it pays homage to Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Jimmy Rogers, and Bobby Rush.

It is a reminder to the world that Mississippi is the birthplace of American music, and bringing live sounds of southern music is Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South.

“I don’t know who all is gonna be in the parade, but I do know who is gonna take the show,” added Reeves.

“It’s an opportunity for us to share with the world what we’ve always known, which is that we have the greatest band in the land, that Mississippi is home, it is the birthplace of music, and that we are maintaining that tradition,” said Dr. Lisa Beckley-Roberts, Chair of Jackson State University’s Department of Music.

Visit Jackson sees this as a chance to showcase the city and state.

“This is a place that we’ve belonged for a long time, but we’re finally taking our place,” said Visit Jackson spokesperson Yolanda Clay-Moore. “We have such a rich culture and tapestry a musical footprint.”

It’s been quite a year for JSU, performing at the Super Bowl in February and now starting the New Year in the Rose Parade.

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students and now to cap off this year and to be in California and to be performing at the Rose Parade, we’re all just overwhelmed with gratitude,” added Beckley-Roberts.

The Rose Parade airs Wednesday at 10 a.m. on NBC.

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Mississippi

Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in Mississippi will receive higher Social Security payments in 2025 – it's now official

Published

17 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in Mississippi will receive higher Social Security payments in 2025 – it's now official

Almost half a million retirees in Mississippi, along with thousands of others, are expected to see their Social Security benefits go up in the new year.

In October, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by around $50 a month starting in January.

“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will rise in 2025, providing support to tens of millions of people as they manage expenses, even as inflation begins to ease,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in an October statement.

Over the past decade, COLA increases have averaged about 2.6%, with a peak of 8.7% in 2023. In 2024, the COLA increase was 3.2%.

Across the country, nearly 68 million Social Security recipients will see a 2.5% increase in their benefits. For the 7.5 million people receiving SSI, the higher payments will start on Dec. 31, 2024. Here’s an overview of Social Security in Mississippi.

How many people in Mississippi receive Social Security?

As of December 2023, 469,560 retirees in Mississippi were receiving Social Security benefits, according to official figures. Almost half a million residents!

In addition, 106,000 people were receiving Social Security disability benefits. Payments also went to 43,000 widows, widowers, and parents, 14,000 spouses, and approximately 59,000 children.

How old do I have to be to collect Social Security?

You can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but your payments will be reduced if you claim them before reaching your “full” retirement age.

You can check the Social Security Administration’s website to see how your benefit amount changes depending on when you start taking it.

The full retirement age has gradually increased over time. For example:

If you were born between 1943 and 1954, full benefits began at age 66.
For those born in 1955, the full retirement age is 66 years and 2 months.
It increases slightly for each birth year until it reaches 67 for those born in 1960 or later.

If you wait to claim your benefits past your full retirement age, up until age 70, your payments will increase.

People can sign up for text or email notifications to know when a new message, like their COLA notice, is available in their My Social Security account, according to Social Security.

Will Medicare and other benefits change?

Details about Medicare changes for 2025 can be found at their official website. Social Security beneficiaries who are also enrolled in Medicare can check their 2025 benefit amount in the Message Center of their My Social Security account.

How is the COLA calculated?

The Social Security Act outlines the process for calculating the COLA.

The annual COLA is based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the Department of Labor.

The Social Security Administration provides a list of annual COLA increases dating back to 1975. Before that, any increases had to be approved by Congress, and they didn’t occur yearly.

The 2025 COLA of 2.5% is the smallest adjustment since January 2021, when the increase was only 1.3%. Here’s a ranking of the different COLAs throughout history:

Lowest COLAs:

0%: 2010, 2011, 2016
0.3%: 2017
1.3%: 1987, 1999, 2021
1.6%: 2022
1.7%: 2013, 2015

Highest COLAs:

14.3%: 1980
11.2%: 1981
9.9%: 1979
8.7%: 2023
8%: 1975
7.4%: 1982
6.5%: 1978
6.4%: 1976
5.9%: 1977, 2022

How much of my paycheck is taxed to fund Social Security?

Each year, adjustments are made in January based on the rise in average wages. In 2025, the maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax will increase from $168,600 to $176,100.

For employees and employers: Each pays 6.2% of wages up to the maximum taxable amount.
For the self-employed: They pay 12.4% of their earnings up to the same limit.

In 2023, total income to the combined OASI (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance) and DI (Disability Insurance) Trust Funds reached $1.351 trillion. This included: