An abandoned mine belonging to a bankrupt mining company is killing trout waters in Benscreek in Pennsylvania. A lot of time, money and effort has gone into preserving these trout waters and many surrounding streams. The runoff is highly acidic and will kill anything in its path.

The Governor has ordered an immediate emergency clean-up effort and has contracted with a local company to drain the mine and treat the waste water. Read more about this here.

Tom Remington

Fish and Game experts are often tracking animals in an attempt to learn more and more about their habitats. With this valued information, biologists are better equipped to manage them. Pennsylvania is no exception but they are doing it to some of their stocked fish.

This spring fish biologists are going to sample selected streams and bodies of water about 10 – 20 days after stocking, to find out how many of the stocked fish are still around. The purpose for the stocking is to make fish available for fishermen to catch. They want to find out if the fish are hanging around.

Last year scientists did a similar survey in two streams in northeastern Pennsylvania. They released a small number of fish equipped with radio tags. Wysox Creek was one stream and Tunkhannock Creek in Susquehanna County, was the other.

In Wysox Creek, 12 trout – 4 rainbow, 4 brown and 4 brookies – where released. In Tunkhannock Creek, 13 fish were released – 5 rainbow trout, 4 brown trout and 4 brook trout.

The first 3 days after being released, the fish moved very little. Between days 4 and 6, all the rainbow trout released in Wysox Creek had left their stocking area. Four of the five rainbows in Tunkhannock had also left.

Three of the Wysox Creek rainbows were never located again. The fourth fish showed up in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, 123.1 miles away from where it was released – 16 days prior. The rainbow trout released in the Tunkhannock dispersed downstream as far away as 12.6 miles.

The brown trout seemed to show less movement. Most of them stayed near to where they were released in both creeks. Some moved downstream as far as 6.3 miles.

The brook trout seemed to show the least amount of movement. They remained at their stocking point for a minimum of 10 days. When they did move they ranged in distances between a half and over 11 miles.

This spring’s survey will show whether the stocked fish react similarly in other parts of the state.

Tom Remington