NATCHEZ — They’re long, scaly, and resemble a cross between an alligator and a needlefish — hence the name alligator gar.

And according to Ricky Campbell, an official from the Private John Allen Fish Hatchery in Tupelo, the St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places along the Mississippi River to find these fish.

This past week, the refuge played host to Campbell and his partner, Cory Gallett, as well as two officials from the Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, Kayla DiBenedetto and Glenn Constant. The four were conducting research on alligator gar, in hopes of helping repopulate the creatures in the Mississippi Valley.

“This place, in my opinion, is critical to the development of alligator gar,” Campbell said. “We come every 10 to 12 years, take whole fish back to the hatchery and inject them with hormones that help them spawn offspring.”

Refuge Manager Bob Strader said the work on alligator gar is important, given their lower population numbers the past few decades.

“They’re a species of concern in the Mississippi Valley, due to the reduced population from historic levels,” Strader said.

“In the past, (these officials) have come and taken 100-plus pound fish from here and used it to strip eggs and repopulate parts of the Mississippi Valley.”

When the fish are brought back to the hatchery, they are monitored closely, especially when the water warms up to 62 degrees. Strader said the 62- to 72-degree threshold is when alligator gar are especially prone to dropping eggs.

“If it gets it up to 72 degrees, the gar’s going to drop eggs overnight, so when they hit 62 degrees, they’re going to begin to watch them really closely,” Strader said.

And the refuge is a place where waters reach those temperatures on a regular basis, Strader said.

“The Mississippi River water is cold, and as it backs into the refuge and gets into shallower water near open fields, it gets sunshine, and it begins to warm,” Strader said.

Because of these conditions, Campbell said the refuge is an ideal model for the habitation and reproduction of alligator gar, and he would like to find other places around the Mississippi River that offer similar conditions.

“We’re trying to study the model to help us find a place similar to St. Catherine Creek,” he said. “Right now, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”