Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Conservation Officer Josh Hudson, who served more than 16 years in law enforcement, died while off-duty on Aug. 5. He was 40 years old.
A dedicated public servant, outdoors enthusiast and family man, Officer Hudson was stationed in Paducah and born and raised in Princeton.
In addition to his parents, Lydell Hudson and Kimberly (Sam) Gillespie Kickasola, Officer Hudson is survived by his wife, Samantha “Sammie Jo” Duncan Hudson, sons Jeremiah Grant Hudson and Luke Joshua Hudson, “adopted” son, Min Yu, two daughters, Rylee Kate Hudson and Madelyn Jolee Hudson, sister Kris-Tina Dye and paternal grandmother Linda Hudson.
"The untimely and tragic loss of one of our co-workers is difficult to process," Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Rich Storm said in a message to department employees. "To you and the entire Kentucky Fish and Wildlife family, as we remember Officer Hudson and his family at this difficult time, please also know that you are and will continue to be in my thoughts and my prayers."
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Photos by Rachel Cummings
Fisheries Division staff and volunteers marked 9,000 lake sturgeon earlier this week at Peter W. Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery near Frankfort for release in the Cumberland River.
Currently, lake sturgeon are listed as endangered, threatened, or a species of special concern in 19 of the 23 states where the species is native, including Kentucky.
Since 2008, fertilized eggs have been obtained annually from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources taken from upper Mississippi basin stock. This partnership allows Kentucky to meet a long-term goal of re-establishing a self-sustaining population of lake sturgeon in the upper Cumberland River drainage.
Lake sturgeon are slow to mature and reproduce. In just a few years the project could enter the time period when reproduction might occur, although there are many factors other than the age of fish that play a role in successful reproduction. The project area extends from Wolf Creek Dam, upstream to Cumberland Falls, including major tributaries such as Rockcastle River and Big South Fork of Cumberland River.
Lake Sturgeon have modified scales called scutes, which run down the body and serve as protection from abrasive environments and predation.
In order to identify the age class of the fish during winter sampling, fisheries staff and volunteers gather at the hatchery each summer to remove scutes from juvenile lake sturgeon. Different scutes are removed from each year’s ‘crop’ of lake sturgeon prior to stocking.
By marking the lake sturgeon in this way fisheries biologists can determine age, growth and health of the fish as they monitor the population over time.
Kentucky now has over 75,000 lake sturgeon stocked within the restoration zone.
This project is funded by a federal State Wildlife Grant.
Lake sturgeon currently have a no-harvest regulation in Kentucky. If you catch a lake sturgeon, release the fish back to the water as quickly as possible to reduce any harm to the fish.
The department is interested in hearing about lake sturgeon catches by anglers. Anglers can email Stephanie.Brandt@ky.gov or Matt.Thomas@ky.gov to report information about their lake sturgeon catches.
- Information provided by Stephanie Brandt.
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The Kentucky State Fair opens Aug. 18 in Louisville.
Attendees are encouraged to visit Main Street Kentucky in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center through Aug. 28 to experience Kentucky Fish and Wildlife through a variety of special programs, educational opportunities and displays.
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