From the W. Virginia Division of Natural Resources:

A state record for striped bass was recently caught by Michael Pittman, Jr., of Wayside in Monroe County, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the Division of Natural Resources. Pittman caught the 40.88-inch, 21.38-pound fish from Bluestone Lake in Summers County on July 8, 2007. He caught the record striped bass using a crank bait while fishing near the mouth of the Bluestone River. Pittman’s catch establishes a new West Virginia record for length. The previous length record for striped bass was a 37.75-inch fish caught by Harold Mills from Bluestone Lake in 2006. The current state record weight for striped bass is a 29.56-pound fish caught by Terry Watkins at Bluestone Lake.

Anglers who believe that they have caught a state record fish should check the record listing in the 2007 Fishing Regulations brochure. The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting their catch. This information is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.

I guess if you’re looking for big striped bass, go to Bluestone Lake in Summers County.

Tom Remington

Last month I reported that officials had expanded their study of unknown fish kills from the Shenandoah River in Virginia. Since 2005 mainly smallmouth bass and red breast sunfish have been dying in these waters and so far officials with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Inland Game and Fisheries have no explanation. More dead fish has caused them to expand their study area to now include the Cowpasture, Maury and upper James rivers.

In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been collecting water samples.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collected sediment samples in late May to test for toxicity and estrogen-related chemicals in some of the rivers. Water samples have been collected from the affected rivers to be tested for known fish viruses. Weekly and continuous water quality monitoring is still under way, and the task force remains in contact with counterparts in West Virginia as they investigate similar fish kills in the Potomac River system.

See related stories about the Potomac watershed he/she fish problems here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Over the past three weeks report of fish kills in these areas is on the rise. Officials are also working closely with W. Virginia as similar fish kills are also showing up in their waters.

Officials are asking for help from residents and fishermen.

The task force encourages the public to provide any information on the location, number and type of fish found dead or sick in the Shenandoah, Cowpasture and James river systems. Distressed fish are found mainly in eddies and shallow areas away from the main current.

Anyone with information is asked to call the DEQ regional office in Harrisonburg at (540) 574-7800, or toll-free in Virginia at 1-800-592-5482. Information also can be emailed to fishreports@deq.virginia.gov. Detailed information about the fish kills is available on the DEQ website at www.deq.virginia.gov.

Tom Remington

From DA Newsroom.

There will be a public meeting on May 8 to discuss the problems of intersex fish and fish-kill instances in the south branch of the Potomac River. The meeting will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Moorefield Middle School.
U.S. Geological Survey and various sponsors will give presentations throughout the meeting. Following the meeting, citizens will have the opportunity to speak with representatives about current investigations during an open house session.
Intersex fish exhibit both male and female characteristics, and they have been found among the high number of fish kills in the rivers.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Natural Resources and the Potomac Water Watch are sponsoring the meeting.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The future of the East’s premier native trout is looking up, thanks to a coalition of state and federal agencies, academic institutions and conservation organizations.

The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture today released a first-of-its-kind conservation strategy to restore healthy, fishable populations of eastern brook trout throughout their eastern native range. The Conservation Strategy is based on the status and threats information contained in the Joint Venture’s initial report, which was issued in May 2006.

The 2006 report found that only 5% of historical brook trout habitat remains intact. Populations have been eliminated or greatly reduced in almost half of the areas that historically supported brook trout. Poor land management practices are responsible for the majority of this decline.

“Once the partnership recognized the threats facing brook trout within its historic eastern range, we developed regional and range-wide strategies to take swift and deliberate steps to conserve strong populations and restore weaker ones,” said Steve Perry, Inland Fisheries Division Chief for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and Chair of the Joint Venture. “We created a model for fish conservation – a large-scale, habitat-focused conservation strategy for a species at risk. This strategy provides us with a roadmap to significantly improve brook trout populations by 2025.”

The report contains a set of aggressive range-wide and regional targets, including protection of highest quality habitat, improvement of 30% of damaged brook trout watersheds, and reintroduction of brook trout to 10% of those watersheds where they have disappeared. Using the 2006 status and threats data as a baseline, the Joint Venture will evaluate progress toward these targets at five year intervals.

In conjunction with the range-wide strategy released today, each of the Joint Venture states is developing a specialized plan based on that state’s existing brook trout populations and dominant threats. Through these plans, the states will prioritize protection and restoration efforts to meet the collective targets outlined above. Projects will address priority needs in each state, ranging from restoring streamside habitat in Georgia to cleaning up pollution from abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania, to fixing road culverts to improve brook trout passage in Maine.

“The significance of these state efforts really can’t be overstated,” said Gary Berti, Eastern Brook Trout Campaign Coordinator for Trout Unlimited and the Joint Venture’s Communications Chair. “They are the ones who will do the hard work to make this range-wide plan a reality. And they will need support from conservation groups, watershed associations, landowners, businesses, educators, citizens and policy-makers at all levels to accomplish the ambitious goals laid out in this strategy.”

The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture partnership began in 2004 as a pilot project under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. Active partners include fish and wildlife agencies from 17 states, federal agencies, conservation organizations and academic institutions. The Joint Venture is seeking additional partners and support to assist in the protection and restoration of brook trout habitat.

Brook trout are the only trout native to the streams and rivers of the eastern United States. Once prolific throughout their historical range, brook trout populations have declined as land use changes have altered their habitat. These fish survive in only the coldest and cleanest water, and they serve as excellent indicators of the health of the watersheds they inhabit.

For more information on the range-wide eastern brook trout conservation strategy and state-specific plans, please visit http://www.easternbrooktrout.net.

This press release was sent to me by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Tom Remington

What began as scientists finding male small mouth and large mouth bass with both sex organs has now grown to include redbreast sunfish.

Vicki Blazer of the US Geological Survey said she verified the abnormality in sunfish last week while preparing for her talk Tuesday at the start of a three-day conference on fish kills in the six-state Chesapeake Bay watershed. The conference was sponsored by the Annapolis-based Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

“We do see it in some of the redbreast sunfish, although I have no idea what the incidence will be,” Blazer said.

It seems that we are just dragging our feet on this issue and doing very little to address a potentially disastrous situation.

You can read more about this topic on previous posts listed below.

Are We The Dumb Leading the Dumber?
Finally Federal Lawmaker Concerned Over Intersexed Fish In Potomac
What Is Estrogen Doing To Our Fish And To Us?

Tom Remington

The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources announced that it is continuing on with a project where they have used limestone sand and other methods to help in increasing water quality in streams.

A number of projects have been initiated to improve habitat in West Virginia waters. Long-standing projects such as placing recycled Christmas trees in reservoirs and adding limestone sand to streams for water quality improvement continue. New efforts include working with the West Virginia B.A.S.S. Federation to establish vegetation in reservoirs, and the development of bass spawning habitat structures for the Ohio River

WVVA-TV says that 74 miles of trout streams will be affected.

The state Division of Natural Resources plans to restore trout to 74 miles of West Virginia streams by dumping limestone sand onto their banks by the end of next year.

Funding for the project comes from a two million dollar settlement from Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion Energy for acid-rain damage caused by a coal-burning power plant at Mount Storm.

The limestone-sand treatments have allowed trout to be reintroduced over the past decade on about 350 miles of acid-damaged streams.

Evidently the water quality has diminished over the years as the result of acid rain caused by a nearby coal-burning power plant. I guess I am not familiar with the use of adding recycled Christmas trees and limestone sand for the purpose of improving water quality. Do two wrongs make a right?

I have been taught since a little boy that “if it didn’t come out of the water, it shouldn’t go in”. Could someone enlighten me and our readers as to the science behind this tactic and please assure us that it isn’t another method of trying to bring stocked trout to more streams in order to satisfy fishermen and sell more licenses.

Tom Remington

The WV Division of Natural Resources is reporting a brand new state record saugeye caught October 15, 2006 by Everett Chapman of Milton, WV.

A state record saugeye was caught by Mr. Everett Chapman of Milton, WV, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the Division of Natural Resources. Mr. Chapman caught the 27.68-inch, 8.73-pound fish from East Lynn Lake in Wayne County on October 15, 2006 using a Rat-L-Trap for bait. Chapman’s catch establishes a new West Virginia record for both length and weight. The previous length record for saugeye was a 27.44-inch fish caught by Rick Dunlap from Stonewall Jackson Lake in 2005. The previous weight record for saugeye was a 7.55-pound fish caught by Brian Moore. Mr. Moore’s fish was also caught from East Lynn Lake in 2005.

“Saugeye are a hybrid fish produced in hatcheries by crossing a female walleye with a male sauger,” according to Bret Preston, Assistant Chief of the Wildlife Resources Section. “Reservoirs such as East Lynn and Stonewall Jackson were stocked each year with saugeye fingerlings until 2001, when pure walleye fingerling stockings began. The last stockings of saugeye are reaching large sizes and more records may be caught within the next few years.”

Anglers who believe that they have caught a state record fish should check the record listing in the current West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Fishing Regulations brochure. The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting a state record catch. This information is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.

Tom Remington

The snakehead or walking fish, was introduced somehow into the Potomac River watershed some time ago. At that time, fish biologists didn’t know what the walking fish would do to other native or not-so-native species. They feared the worst and got something a little less drastic, so far.

National Georgraphic covers the story of the walking fish and how it has affected the Potomac River watershed area. It looks ahead in hopes of learning more about what the future holds for this fish and other competitive species, including the smallmouth bass.

Tom Remington

In West Virginia, DNR officials are working to rebuild Woodrum Lake in Jackson County. The lake had to be drained to make repairs to the dam. The following press release details what is being done to bring the lake back now that repairs are completed.

Largemouth Bass Stocked into Woodrum Lake in Jackson County

The Division of Natural Resources stocked more than 5,000 largemouth bass fingerlings into Woodrum Lake during the last week of July, according to Bret Preston, Assistant Chief of the Wildlife Resources Section. The bass that Woodrum Lake received ranged in size from two to six inches.
The Jackson County lake was drained completely in 2005 as the result of damage done to a lower gate during a routine inspection. During the following winter the U.S. Department of Agriculture repaired the gate and the lake began to fill in late March. It currently needs about four additional feet of water to be completely full.

“So far this year Woodrum has received bluegill, fat head minnows and largemouth bass,” Preston said.  “Other species that will be introduced include muskie and channel catfish, which may be stocked this fall.”

While the lake was dry the DNR, with assistance from Muskies Inc. and B.A.S.S. members, took several steps to jump-start the developing fishery.  “Last fall, approximately 6,000 pounds of winter wheat seed, purchased by the NRCS, was planted along several sites within the dry lakebed,” Preston said.  “During March, aquatic vegetation was also planted.”
Hundreds of soft stem bulrush, sago pondweed, and arrowhead plants were introduce in two areas. To minimize loss of the developing plants, fences were constructed around the planted areas.  “These sites are located in two upper areas of Woodrum Lake and it is hoped that these plants will supply seed sources for other areas within the lake.  Anglers should note that because of the low water, only small boats can be launched at the boat ramp.  Woodrum Lake is located in southern Jackson County approximately five miles east of Kenna.

Tom Remington

A heads-up by friend Rod Davis headed me over the the W.Virginia Department of Natural Resources website to read about the state record bowfin recently caught.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

New State Record Bowfin Caught

A state record bowfin was caught by Matt Stender of Barboursville, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the Division of Natural Resources. Stender caught the 28.43-inch, 9-pound, 4-ounce fish from the backwater areas of the Ohio at Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area in Cabell County on July 5, 2006 using fresh shad for bait. Stender’s catch establishes a new West Virginia record for weight. The previous weight record for bowfin was a 7.66-pound fish caught by Carl A. Jaegar, III from a pond in Berkeley County. The previous length record of 32.25 inches caught by Donald E. Newcomb, III still stands as the West Virginia bowfin length record.

“The backwater areas of the Ohio at Green Bottom, major embayments, and major tributaries of the Ohio are all good spots to try for bowfin during the late spring and summer,” according to Jeff Hansbarger, Assistant District Fisheries Biologist.

Anglers who believe that they have caught a state record fish should check the record listing in the 2006 Fishing Regulations brochure. The brochure also outlines the procedure to follow for reporting their catch. This information is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.

Tom Remington

The W. Virginia Division of Natural Resources has made available all the bodies of water where fish stocking has taken place during February. If you would like to review those waters, follow this link to the WVDNR web site.

Tom Remington