Midwest Fisheries Center

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Midwest Fisheries Center Visit our official website: https://www.fws.gov/office/midwest-fisheries-center Welcome

This is an official page of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To learn more about our social media efforts, and to find a list of official USFWS social media sites, please visit our social media hub:http://www.fws.gov/home/socialmedia/

Our agency is known for our scientific excellence, our stewardship of lands and natural resources, and our dedicated conservation and wildlife professionals. While we hope that this page will help you stay connected to our work, we also hope that it will keep us connected to you and the issues you care about. Your participation on this page is vital and all feedback is welcome--both good and bad. Your perspective is welcomed and we hope that conversations about the Service can be productive, fun, and engaging.

09/28/2026

Mussels vs. No Mussels

After just 30 minutes, this two-tank demonstration shows the impressive filtering power of native freshwater mussels. A single mussel can filter 5 to 10 gallons of water every day, removing particles from the water as it feeds.

Native freshwater mussels play an important role in healthy rivers and streams, but they're also among the most imperiled groups of animals in North America. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works closely with states and conservation partners to better understand, protect and restore native mussel populations.

And before you ask: Yes, the mussel tank has a bubbler because live mussels need more oxygen. No, it isn't filtering the water. That's 100% mussel power.

Photo by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

Time to test your fish id skills! This one was caught in the Mississippi River near Dakota, MN by the I-90 boat ramp. Ch...
09/28/2026

Time to test your fish id skills! This one was caught in the Mississippi River near Dakota, MN by the I-90 boat ramp. Check back tomorrow to find out the correct answer.
Photo by USFWS

Looking for something to do this weekend? Take a road trip and head on over to beautiful Necedah National Wildlife Refug...
09/24/2026

Looking for something to do this weekend? Take a road trip and head on over to beautiful Necedah National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday for Family Day on Saturday, September 26th 9am-3pm. At the event, you will be able to:
-Meet live Lake Sturgeon at the touch tank
-Meet live wildlife with the Coulee Humane Society
-Learn about fly tying
-Learn about bats
-Go birding
-Participate in kid’s fishing games & crafts, including casting, types of equipment, fish-printing on bandanas, and more.

Find more details about the event here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EZ7mpRUra/

Photo 1 /Kim Ambrose
Photos 2-4/USFWS

09/21/2026

People always ask us, "What did you catch while electrofishing?" Here’s a look at our catches from a couple weeks back. Don’t worry, every fish was safely released back into the Mississippi River!

Video Description:Text States: “Electrofishing Adventure: Here’s what we got in the Mississippi River near Dakota, MN”. Two biologists show their catches to a group of people: smallmouth and largemouth bass, black crappie, shortnose gar, flathead catfish, northern pike, bowfin, river carp sucker, common carp, spotted sucker, a tiny gizzard shad, and freshwater drum.

We had a great day at the Crawford County Youth Conservation Day. We taught 180 students how to be a biologists by colle...
09/18/2026

We had a great day at the Crawford County Youth Conservation Day. We taught 180 students how to be a biologists by collecting aquatic macroinvertebrates and identifying them.

Last week we had an awesome field day with students from Viterbo’s Limnology course! They got an inside look at the U.S....
09/10/2026

Last week we had an awesome field day with students from Viterbo’s Limnology course! They got an inside look at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, learned about electrofishing, how to identify different Mississippi River fish, and even learned how to pull fyke nets. Nothing beats learning outdoors and getting hands-on with real fieldwork!

Time to test your fish id skills! This one was caught on the Mississippi River in Onalaska, WI. Check back tomorrow to f...
09/01/2026

Time to test your fish id skills! This one was caught on the Mississippi River in Onalaska, WI. Check back tomorrow to find out the correct answer.

Photo by USFWS

We had a great time a couple weeks ago at Camp Decorah helping campers learn how to fish! Seeing a big grin after a chil...
08/26/2026

We had a great time a couple weeks ago at Camp Decorah helping campers learn how to fish! Seeing a big grin after a child catches a fish for the first time never gets old! We also taught campers how to filet a fish so they can enjoy their catch for dinner.

Address

555 Lester Avenue
Onalaska, WI
54650

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+16086840085

Website

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