Roundtable Discussion - February 8, 2008 Memphis, Tennessee
Jeff Quinn, AGFC
The natural gas industry has been booming in central Arkansas
(Fayetteville shale formation). Several impacts are expected
including pollution and intensive water use. Natural Gas
Companies are buying water out of people’s ponds. A 3 to 5 acre
pad is cleared for each well. One company expects to develop 400
new natural gas wells next year along, and several new pipelines are
being developed. I am working on a large backwater restoration
project on AR River – a $600,000 project to dredge it out Rector Brake.
I have also been working on paddlefish management issues.
Fisheries Division will be revising stream sampling protocols.
Fisheries District 3 biologists finished an intensive electrofishing
survey of the Eleven Point River to make fishing maps. We are getting
together a cooperative, multi-state pallid sturgeon telemetry project.
We have several new alligator gar projects underway
Dave Stormer, Auburn University
David is studying the movement, habitat uses of shoal bass in
tributaries of Chattahoochee on the Alabama side. The state will
stock 64 shoal bass in river.
Jimmy Rayburn - MDWFP
Jimmy discussed the massive fish kills due to Hurricane Katrina.
They have stock assessment and restocking projects ongoing with MSU
with Dan O’Keefe. The have been marking stocked channel catfish,
bass, redear in Pascagoula River oxbows.
Three WMA areas are along this river and they may expand the MSU study
to other Coastal Rivers. Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama hatcheries
have sent fish. They are trying to develop standardized sampling
protocols. They have commercial fishing issues with endangered
sturgeon and turtles.
Jason Childress - OK Water Res. Board
Oklahoma has developed comprehensive statewide probabilistic stream
sampling program. About 80 – 90% of sample sites are on private
land, and they are in the 3rd year of 5 year project to generate IBI’s
that relate to water quality standards. They will start on the
Illinois River this year. Arkansas & Oklahoma were in a lawsuit
over poultry waste issue. Illinois River is a scenic river in
Oklahoma and it has very high water quality criteria. The courts
ruled that Arkansas has to meet Oklahoma’s water quality standards.
Lee Holt - AGFC
We are looking at a shovelnose sturgeon stock on the White River that
appears unique stock because the fish are smaller. We need to
look at the genetics and establish a minimum length limit. We
documented illegal harvest of two pallid sturgeon by commercial fishers
from the Mississippi River, which was closed. There has been some
talk about listing shovelnose sturgeon under the ESA because of
similarity of appearance with pallid sturgeon. Lee will be
studying Alligator Gar with stationary VR2 receivers in the
Mississippi, Arkansas, White and Cache Rivers. Adults will be
tagged to determine migrations and spawning grounds.
Eric Cummings - Kentucky
He has been collecting broodstock of native Walleye on Rock Castle
River for restocking other rivers. They have been reintroducing
mussels in the Green River. They have been working on improving
fishing access.
Carl Williams - TWRA
TWRA is six months away from having a State aquatic nuisance species
plan. He has been working on crayfish distribution for 15 years with
agency personnel.
Bart Carter - TWRA
TWRA is characterizing angler use on two popular rivers with differing
regulations in the East TN Region. The info is found at
www.twraa4streams.org.
Several state wildlife grant projects were identified, including,
reintroduction of blue sucker to the upper Nolichucky River, and
distribution and status of endangered fishes in a coal mining area.
Amy Spencer - MSU
Amy has been doing a fish assessment of deep water areas of the
Tombigbee River, and a spatial habitat & GIS analysis of the Arkansas
River & Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway overtime.
Brian Allford - MDEQ
Mississippi has been modeling sport fish in wadeable streams. He
is one of 2 fish biologists at MDEQ. Historically they only
investigated fish kills and performed fish containment analysis.
They came up with a bug IBI but didn’t work in the Delta region so we
did a fish IBI for that region. In 2008, they will participate in
the EPA non-wad able stream assessment? They are also working on
the Great Rivers Assessment near Natchez and Vicksburg. They are
working on the EPA National Lakes, which is done every 5 years.
Jason Persinger – Missouri Department of Conservation
A new department wide guidance document stresses stream management.
They have issues with handgrappling catfish and are using a pilot
season to get information on catfish. They did hatchery studies
and within 48 hours after catfish removal from the nest, the catfish
eggs are dead. They are dealing with another round over gravel
mining in Ozarks. Effects of PL566 impoundments on Ozarks were
discussed. Many projects on Osage River are part of relicensing
of dam project. One year ago pumped back reservoir was overfilled and
failed.
Patti Lanford – Georgia DNR
Patti runs the IBI program in Georgia. There are 5 major
ecoregions in GA and they sampled 4 of 5 regions and 1,000 streams.
The Governors “Go fish Georgia” initiative is riding on the coattails
of economic development thrust. The may put in 8 – 15 mega boat
ramps to have a Bass Trail. They have hired a biologist to help
with lots of anadromous fish work. The ANS Plan being written.
The University of Georgia is working a Fishes of Georgia Atlas.
Scott Smith - Virginia
John Copeland seeks information on success of catch & release
regulations for smallmouth bass at
john.copeland@dgif.virginis.gov. They have an American shad
restoration project in the Chesapeake Bay Drainage. They have
done lots of tidal river and catfish and largemouth bass were sensitive
to flows in terms of recruitment.
Supplemental stocking of 1 to 2” Largemouth Bass in a tidal river
successfully produced a year class. OTC marked. They looked at if
supplemental stocking of Smallmouth Bass with OTC marks can be used to
enhance a year class in a river. They have population estimates
via depletion sampling of 7 large rivers now, which will be summarized
in 6 to 8 months. Ten years of creel data on 10 – 12 rivers being
summarized. Smallmouth bass genetic survey suggests that upper
Tennessee River fish are unique smallmouth bass -- everything else was
a mixture of genetics due to stocking?
Shenandoah River fish kills are still happening unknown cause, legions
over several months then they die in March – June. Science team
formed to help interagency task for investigate issue. WV kills in
2002. VA kills in 2004.
Frank Fiss - TWRA
TWRA hired a new in stream flow biologist (Kim Elkins) to work with
USGS, Nature Conservancy to develop an in stream flow model for
Tennessee. The project depends on fisheries data. Stream survey
teams have been doing nongame fish sampling for several years. TWRA
will hire a new habitat biologist to work with the Department of
Agriculture to tap funding sources out there.
ADJOURNED