What are the opening hours?

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

Midwest Fisheries Center

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Onalaska, WI
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 wo

rk, 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.

06/04/2026

The spring environmental DNA (eDNA) field season is nearing completion, marking the end of several months of systematic sample collection across the region. Although field crews have finished gathering water samples, the analytical phase is just beginning. All collected samples are sent to the Whitney Genetics Lab, where laboratory staff will spend the summer processing samples to determine whether invasive carp genetic material is present or absent in each sample.

06/03/2026

Dr. Jill Jenkins visited the Midwest Fisheries Center this week from the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, in Lafayette, LA . She worked with a couple of our fish biologists on standard methods for determining fish ploidy, and comparing the capabilities of different instruments. She also gave a fascinating presentation on her work studying the impact of contaminants and biomarkers on wildlife at a cellular level, and one of her most recent studies uses machine learning to determine fish ploidy out in the field. Thank you again for visiting!

Check out the incredible work Dr. Jill Jenkins has worked on here: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/jill-jenkins

06/02/2026

Here is another quiz for our fish enthusiasts. Name this fish. It was found by our biologists while sampling in the Wisconsin River. Look in the comments tomorrow morning for the answer.

05/28/2026

Last week we had the joy of taking part in the Tomah VA Fishing Tournament, a tradition that has brought people together for 34 wonderful years. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and the smiles were just as bright. Tomah Middle School students teamed up with veterans to help reel in fish, while our crew from the Midwest Fisheries Center weighed and measured each catch with care. The day’s biggest fish was a beautiful 16‑inch largemouth bass.

05/26/2026

The Invasive Carp eDNA Monitoring Program is in full swing! Field stations collect eDNA samples across the region and send them to the Whitney Genetics Lab where they get processed. The lab uses genetic markers that are unique to silver and bighead carp to identify if the water samples contain invasive carp DNA. The lab processes roughly 9,000-10,000 eDNA samples annually!

05/21/2026

Wondering why invasive carp are such a big deal? Here’s one reason: invasive bighead and silver carp can grow massive, like the ones in these photos, and they directly compete with our native fish for food. Both invasive carp and young-of-the-year native species eat zooplankton and phytoplankton, but imagine a fish smaller than your fingernail trying to compete for food with a fish this size. That imbalance puts enormous pressure on our native ecosystems and makes it harder for young native fish to survive.

05/18/2026

Reminder: When we take care of our natural resources, we’re also protecting the tiny creatures who call these places home. 🐢💚

Check out this adorable little musk turtle our fish biologists spotted during field work at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge!

05/15/2026

FREE KIDS FISHING DAY EVENT🎣 MAY 16TH 9AM-12PM

Inspire a love for fishing at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery's Kids Fishing Day on Saturday, May 16th. The event is free and all the equipment is provided. It's for kids ages 5-12 years old. If fishing isn’t their thing, no worries! We’ll also have a variety of nature‑themed activities to explore. We look forward to seeing you at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery and Great River Road Interpretive Center

05/12/2026

Last week we helped out with one of our favorite community events, the River Clean Up, La Crosse . It's great to help clean the river that we work on so often. Over the years, this event has cleaned up 844,694 POUNDS of trash out of the Mississippi River! One of our crews this year, won the all time record of cleaning up 17 barrels for the day! That's the most barrels collected in a day since the event started 33 years ago.

05/11/2026

Time to test your fish ID skills! The raindrops make this picture a little blurry but help show just how tiny this fish is. Believe it or not, this is a full-grown adult! Check back for the correct answer tomorrow in the comments.

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

https://www.fws.gov/office/la-crosse-fish-health-center, https://www.fws.gov/office/la-crosse-fish-and-wildlife-conserva

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