Roundtable Discussion - September 28, 2005 Asheville, North Carolina
Chris Thomason - South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources (SCDNR) - Doing stream survey techniques and protocols for wadeable streams. In 5 years we plan to assess all streams in a random manner. We will use the information to respond to development projects. Data currently does not exist to comment on permit applications. DHEC samples macroinvertebrates using IBI. SCDNR samples fish, but our efforts are hindered by staff constraints and number of waters. Debating the Stream Team (1 team for entire state) approach to perform sampling rather than having all biologists do the sampling. Georgia has one crew to sample impaired waters. Trying to determine what habitat data to collect (GIS, Geomorphic data). There is a priority plan for fisheries — some programs dropped (pond checks, raising fish for stocking private ponds). New priorities — ecological approach. Trying to do more larger river work in the next 10 years. FERC relicensing. Really don’t have the staff to do this. Hope to have management plans in place for rivers. Need overall plans and reach specific plans.
Dan Catchings (AL) commented that FERC relicensing requires a huge amount of time and effort.
Kin Hodges - North Carolina Wildlife Resources Agency (NCWRA) - Ongoing research study of life history and impacts of Flathead Catfish in NC coastal region — radio tagging, food habits, migrating from Fall Line to Atlantic at times of the year. Capture efficiency with electrofishing is only around 5% in low conductivity coastal rivers. Salinity tolerance studies – LD50 = 14 ppt NaCl. Density of flatheads is such that they may be reducing sturgeon and endangered fish populations.
Coastal biologists doing some work with striped bass and American shad population assessments. Stocking OTC marked American Shad (thousands) for several years. Trucked shad to headwaters of rivers and they migrated through three dams to the coast. Recommends reading “The Founding Fish” - book on American shad. Robust Redhorse — radio tagged one fish that they hope will lead them to others. NCWRA added six new nongame positions that were funded with State Wildlife Grant funds.
Eric Cummins - Kentucky Dept. of Fish & Wildlife - Smallmouth Stream Assessment is in their standardized sampling plans. Main goal is to identify good smallmouth bass streams. Develop a smallmouth bass brochure and publicize the opportunities. Finished comparing pellet vs. wild reared stocked smallmouth bass - no difference – 7% contribution to the fishery. Stocked fingerlings. Hiring an ichthyologist for Kentucky.
Dan Catchings - Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources - Steve Rider is our new nongame fish staff member and he supervises a few technicians. Several ongoing projects. Steve will coordinate the stream sampling protocol within the next year. Historically, the Geological Survey of Alabama has done a lot of stream sampling, but such work was not guided by an overall plan. Dan did not know if IBI can answer all Alabama’s questions and the sampling may not need to be that specific.
FERC relicensing began 3 years ago. A document is to be sent to FERC this winter (2005) on seven reservoirs. A relicensing generates an incredible amount of effort i.e. meetings etc. State is dealing with Kleinschmidt & Assoc. who is the power company’s consultant. Examined a host of issues – erosion, water quality, recreational aspects, flows. A fish team, mussel team, insect team and crayfish team were formed. Adaptive management used. Sampling for 2-3 years, wait for 8-9 efforts to see effects of altered flows and then sample again for 4-5 years.
Will restore flows to Weiss bypass – 200- 900 cfs for threatened and endangered mussels.
FERC relicensing can work. It’s never easy. It requires lots of work, negotiation and give and take.
Auburn Univ. research ---- redeye bass status in the Tallapoosa River. Hydrologic variation and recruitment and growth of striped bass and catfish (Dr. Elise Irwin). Sampling paddlefish eggs, larvae and population assessment (Dr. Dennis Devries).
Frank Fiss - Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) - We have been sampling streams and rivers – 200 meter reaches for game fish. After eight years we think we have found standard sample locations. The statewide Smallmouth Bass Management Plan has been posted on their website. Need to make changes to nongame sampling to accommodate the new nongame biologists (SWG funds). Got a NIFWIF grant through Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership (SARP) to develop habitat plans for four major habitat types in the Southeast. Gave funds to The Nature Conservancy to use their 5S planning method. Goal is to develop aquatic habitat plan in Southeast. Habitat sites — Duck River, Roanoke River, and 3 others.
Frank’s priority is the fishing access program. The TN legislature took their money and will not give it back to TWRA until they have a plan to spend the money. Have data on fishable waters that can be use to support access program.
John Copeland - Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) - Main warmwater streams emphasis is the smallmouth bass committee that works statewide. Both papers presented at the 2004 Midyear meeting were accepted for publication by the North American Journal of Fisheries Management. Working on land use and water quality variables in relation to smallmouth bass abundance to detect relationships. Tom Hampton in the southwest district is modeling smallmouth bass populations in the state with FAST.
Collecting tissues to determine the genetics of smallmouths in the state. FERC relicensing on the New River at Claytor Dam. Study of Blue Catfish on coastal river fish populations. Some districts are doing wadeable stream surveys using the protocols that John developed.
Dennis Riecke - Mississippi Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks (MDWFP) - The newest development is that the MDWFP is going to develop a stream mitigation bank for use by state agencies. The Mobile District of the Corps is requiring stream mitigation for the proposed construction of a new state fishing lake in southern Mississippi. There is only one private stream bank in operation in the state. The Miss. Dept. of Transportation needs stream mitigation credits to satisfy a backlog of permit requirements. The voluntary Scenic Stream Stewardship program continues to expand. Dr. Steve Miranda (Miss. State Univ.) is revising our sampling guidelines and streams are being included for the first time. A Pearl River Basin Group (NGO) formed in response to plans to construct lakes below Ross Barnett Reservoir. The lakes are supposed to provide flood control benefits for the Jackson Metro Area and also provide waterfront development opportunities. A Pascagoula River NGO may be formed in the next few years. Head cutting is a major problem and we need to combat it with restoration projects. Dr. Don Jackson at (Miss. State Univ.) has a research project to determine paddlefish spawning sites and do population assessment in the Noxubee River. There is also a alligator gar population status assessment in coastal rivers. Gar Tissue is being collected annually for genetic analysis at the Univ. of Southern Miss.
Adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
Due to the high river levels caused by rainfall from Hurricane Jeanne, sampling the French Broad River with NCWRA biologists was cancelled for the next day.