Missouri: Final Thoughts

Was the trip successful? There was a point when Katy asked me if I thought it was...I think it was on the second day. I told her that the trip was more than just about bringing fish back. It was the experience in total that was important. The trip was by all accounts a success. I am very glad that we took the time to read up on the fish prior to going on the trip. We knew what we could expect and were not disappointed. Learning more about Missouri has given me additional appreciation for natural resources and for native fish from the United States. I am also glad that I had pre-set some tanks in the fishroom for the anticipated new arrivals. A little planning helped us a lot on the backside of the trip. The fish that we shipped to ourselves arrived the day after we did...and in fabulous shape. None of them had perished. Our losses during the plane flight home totaled only 3 fish. We brought back about 275. Total losses during the trip were about 60 fish. Losses in the first few days in the fishroom were another 50-60. I stopped counting on the fourth day. One thing I would not do again is plan a social event on the weekend after coming back from a trip like the one I had to attend after the trip to Missouri. Not only was I extremely tired but I wanted to watch the fish. We also had the misfortune of having a batch of hot weather descend upon the area while I was away during the weekend...most of the fish that perished at home did so as a direct result of the unseasonable heat wave and a mechanical device's malfunction. Even with the unfortunate heat wave and my lack of experience, we have had about 60% survival. I would do a few things differently in the field. It would be extremely helpful to be able to change water every day rather than "as needed." I don't wait until a tank "needs" a water change at home, I should have maintained that head-set in the field. I also won't set the air-conditioning up too high, nor set the fish too near the outlet for the air conditioning unit...most of the losses in the motel could be attributed to either unchanged water and/or to much cold air directed upon their containers. The primary map we used was a great asset. If was an "Atlas and Gazettee" from the DeLorme company. Plenty of detail, fairly priced and available for all 50 states.