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.

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.

Steve Filipek (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission) - White River Navigation & Irrigation Project - thru citizen advocacy groups and agency involvement, the project doesn't look feasible and is shelved.

Arkansas River - dammed for navigation, for years the agency has been trying to get the Corps to release more water at certain times and to refit dikes, levees etc. to make them more environmentally friendly. Now the Corps seems receptive to these measures.

Brian Wagner (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission) - Expanding our nongame staff. Malacologist and Herpetologist on staff are building better databases.

Christian Waters (North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission) - Anadromous fish project (striped bass run) on Roanoak River and expanding to other rivers.

American Shad Restoration Project.

Fish Passage issues on the Neuse River - dam removal, sampling revealed a positive impact, increased migration; also examining installing fish ladders.

Cape Fear River, Corps fish passage studies. Due to flooding from Hurricanes Fran & Floyd people signed petitions for snagging and dredging work. This is their number 1 issue. Lots of funds to do the work.. NCWRC wants the work done according to the AFS Stream Removal Guidelines. Working with NRCS, seems to be going well.

Zack Brown (West Virginia Dept. of Natural Resources) - Tug Fork, 70 acre coal slurry impoundment gave way into a Kentucky coal mine and sludge got into Ohio River; problems determining nature of the fish kill due to color of sludge; continuing problem each rainfall resuspends the sludge. All water plants on the Tug Fork & Big Sandy had to close. The Ashland, KY water plant had to shut down and the Cincinnati plant may have to close. Problem for WV is how to assess the damage and how to figure mitigation. This is in Al Surmont's district.

Mountain top removal - unclear whether judges ruling will be upheld.

Dealing with the Corps on habitat units and seeking any advice on enhancing instream habitat units.

Barry Bolton (Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation) - recently hired 2 stream biologists, Paul Balkenbush is WWSC appointee.

Instream Flow Protest - Oklahoma Water Resources Board took protests thru administrative hearings procedure; IFIM study completed for an Outstanding Resource Water, it was a good education effort to increase the public awareness of these waters.

Arkansas Shiner - designation of critical habitat, TX & OK to send a letter to the USFWS to try other methods for recovery prior to designating critical habitat.

Hog Farm permitting - issue went to OK Supreme Court; Water Resource Board doesn't have to issue permits; they will have to determine that waste is not polluting waters for each permit application.

Kelly Russell (US Forest Service) - many National Forests are revising their management plans which will govern activities for the next 10 years and comments are needed from state fishery agencies.

Include USFS in state stream survey sampling work.

A new job, Regional Aquatic Ecologist (GS12-13) is being hired for the Athens, GA office.

Fred Kinard, Jr. (Wesvaco) - A terrestrial biologist serves on the Advisory Plan for the Environment & Habitat protection for the SE Atlantic Fish Management Council. Wesvaco has stream side management zone procedures.

Supplies seedlings (for CRP and Sustainable Business Council) in the CP22 Riparian Area Reforestation, statewide CRP program that has open sign up.

Plans to reforest (conversion from soybeans) the Missouri boot heel with cottonwoods. 2000 goal is 3,000 acres reforested. Long-term goal is to reforest 1 million acres in the Miss. River Valley.

Joe Fleming (Fort Stewart, Savannah,GA) - Dredging the Savannah River; past dredging increased upstream movement of saltwater wedge.

Joe did MS thesis work on shortnose sturgeon in Savannah River.

South Carolina has made some progress w/poultry processing plants; IBI work done under contract on some reference sites on blackwater river, at remote, pristine sites. Performing river sampling within base boundaries that are not accessible to state agency personnel.

Bobby Reed (Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries) - State has had a Scenic Streams Program since 1970 (unfunded mandate); 27 streams in program and they are renewing emphasis on them. Currently writing management plans for each stream and increasing enforcement on them.

Lower Pearl River - Corps in Vicksburg is examining removal or modification of load head dams built in the 1950's for navigation to increase sturgeon and paddlefish migration. Effort involves P.L.1135 and the Nature Conservancy may contribute matching funds.

Red River - 5 Lock and Dams, Corps wants to expand one of them to provide port access for a town in Arkansas.

Mermentau River - Drainage encompasses 50-60% of the rice field acreage. This land use impacts turbidity and effluents. LA DEQ is working with rice farmers to minimize the impacts.

Sabine River - Houston needs water and the city hired Brown & Root to supply it to them. Their plans involved releases from Toledo Bend Reservoir; this option abandoned due to impacts to sport fishes. The lower Sabine River option was shelved due to the spread of the zebra mussels. Houston did not involve Louisiana in these plans for 2 years.

In the second year of the current drought with 35" of rainfall, the saltwater wedge has moved 50-60 miles inland.

Steve Filipek (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission) - the power industry is being deregulated in Arkansas. Duke Power and 3 other companies want to construct new power plants and use water. Total Dissolved Solids will increase 3 fold. I would like to receive information on the effects on TDS on fish.

Adjourned 3:24 p.m.