Warmwater Stream Committee
Southern Division, American Fisheries Society

Roundtable Discussion Minutes - June 6, 2000
Henry Horton State Park, Tennessee

• John Copeland (VA Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries) - House Bill 38 Report (Study by Mark Duda) a 1998 bill allocates some existing sales tax (based on USFWS figures on hunting and fishing gear purchases) to the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries. There is a cap of 13 million dollars per fiscal year. Measure was designed to solve the agency fiscal deficit and yield a surplus. The Dept. will run a deficit in 2003. 50% of the money is for the operational fund, 50% for capital improvements.

  The Dept. surveyed (survey on Dept. website) it's constituents and employees. Constituents included anglers, boaters, hunters., landowners, general public and nonconsumptive users.

  Results - employees and dept. board feel Information & Education programs should be emphasized.
  Anglers: 1) 82% were very or somewhat satisfied with dept. programs.
               2) 50% travel < 1 hour to fish;
               3) they feel their needs/desires are being incorporated into agency efforts/programs.

  The most important angler needs:
    A. clean water and where to fish
    B. more emphasis is needed to insure good water quality and habitat

  Direct mail is the best way for anglers to receive their information; 10-15% want to receive info via the internet..

  84% of boaters own a boat to use for fishing versus other uses.

  Noncomsumptive users- 33% of citizens observe wildlife within 1 mile of their homes "residential watchers". 96% of this group were satisfied with dept. performance/programs.
    Top species watched; deer, ducks, geese, hawks and birds.
    67% take overnight trips to view wildlife; 70% go to federal lands: 30% to state land.

  Recommendations made to Dept. board
  1) Maintain traditional constituent base
  2) Prioritize Information & Education functions in your jobs
  3) Reach out to wildlife watchers
  4) Relate how people are benefitting from the state sales tax funds.

• Dennis Riecke (Miss. Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks) - The voluntary scenic streams program passed by the legislature last year grandfathered 6 streams as eligible for the program but none have landowner committees that are ready to introduce nomination bills to seek the scenic stream designation. The Wolf River Conservation Committee sought a nomination bill for the Wolf River along the coast and it became the first stream designated as a scenic stream.

  Dr. Don Jackson at MSU is seeking funds to study paddlefish spawning habitat in the Noxubee River.

  MDWFP plans to survey the catfish populations in 10-12 streams to determine age and growth, maturity, population structure and catch rates in sport (trot lines) and commercial gear (hoop nets & slat traps or baskets) to determine resource allocation.

  A study is beginning to survey streams in south Miss. for the presence of tilapia to determine their distribution and impact to native fishes.

  Dr. Steve Miranda at MSU is revising our Standard Sampling Methods Manual. For the first time it will include methods for stream sampling of game and nongame fishes.

• Chris Thomason (South Carolina DNR) - Mark Duda did a study of constituents and he is now beginning a study of children. REALKIDS program in schools is promoting fishing. Outreach - Fishing Rodeos.

  Discussed sentiment today that nature is something you coexist with instead of harvest. Fishing requires patience; it is a slow sport and kids get bored with it. But an environmental consciousness develops from fishing and hunting experiences.

• Chris O'Bara (West Virginia DNR) - West Virginia receives money from hydro power companies for fish losses. SC, NC also receive funds but AL, KY, & VA do not. SC receives money from the Corps for fish passage.

  A Court ruled that FERC cannot require payment for fish losses unless there is an absolute determination of a negative impact but does all payment for enhancement projects.
  Programs/Efforts
  1) WV seeking to establish guidelines for compensation/enhancement
  2) Adopt-A-Bass group - working with people on Ohio River
  3) Fish Consumption Issue - doing mercury consumption advisories, source is thought to be atomospheric mercury, in the future a statewide advisory may be issued. KY has a statewide mercury advisory.

• Ed Scott (Tennessee Valley Authority) - various projects
  1) French Broad River - working on turbine replacement, impacts to darters, reintroduction of lake sturgeon (below Douglas Reservoir)
  2) Nature Preserve creation
  3) Environmental Assessment of riparian tailwater areas below 2 reservoirs
  4) EIS on 1920's dam (Nolichucky) - reservoir is completely filled with sediment, bought by TVA in 1970's, no power generation, problems is flooding adjacent to reservoir, a commercial sand and gravel dredging operation exists, sediment loads in the river are much less and the fish population is improving (muskie & blue sucker) the options are:
  a. remove the dam
  b. leave dam, dredge sediment
  c. lower dam, dredge sediment

  5) Mussel survey of Nolichucky
  6) Clinch River - southwest VA, chemical spill, mussel kill - work to seek restitution for losses ( (USFWS contract)
  7) USFWS - wants a watershed survey of Indian Creek - EPA., TVA, VA Game & Inland Fish all working to do fish surveys.

  ---

  At this point we had a general discussion regarding stream sampling techniques

  VA - uses boat electrofishing for smallmouth assessment which is different from the small streams sampling protocol - 20 times stream width = length to sample (minimum 150 feet)
  similar to NAQWA guidelines

  EPA has a new Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP) Manual

  Ohio River Fish Management Team (PA to IL) has standard collection techniques for sauger, paddlefish and black bass.

  TVA - uses backpack shocking for wadeable streams. IBI used and they continue until they don't recover a new species, use data loggers in the field.

  NC - Div. of Water Quality - does IBI work
  - Wildlife Resources - all 3 coastal district s have same Smith-Root boats and sample 2-3 rivers/year; trying to develop statewide catfish collection methods, in some places current gear works in some it does not work.

  KY - on 4th order streams they sample 2 riffles, 2 runs, 2 pools with 60 minute backpack electrofishers.; little protocol

  VA - for gamefish they ask whether this is a fishable population or not and they have numerical standards to answer that question. You can sample for gamefish and nongame fish in the same sampling trip and be successful as the focus and target are different. 7-10 times stream width = sample length to get all specifics; good meta data exists (sample location data, sample width & length.

  Duke Power - in NC has used Instream flow studies, Index C uses wettable usage habitat, events and Duane request input if anyone has used this method.

  ---

  We resumed state-by-state reports

• Dan Catchings (AL Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources) - Drafted a resolution to establish a Streams & Wetland Mitigation Program

  Encountered problems with Corps acceptance of their authority to request mitigation for stream projects.

  AL proposed a nonregulatory, voluntary program that reviews impacts and requests mitigation, methodologies are listed.

  Dan will E-mail document to all interested. AL patterned their program after Kentucky's.

  Examining having nonprofit groups administer the funds in this mitigation program.

  ---

  Chairman Catchings asked everyone to consider incorporating using multiple gear for field sampling a the next summer meeting.

  Chairman Catchings thanked Chris O'Bara for setting up the location facilities and the WWSC adjourned at 11:24 a.m.

  

  Home | Comments | Members | Links | AFS | Southern Division