Category Archives: Conservation

Are Shark Populations Improving off U.S. East Coast?

2015 Coastal Shark Survey Reveals Shark Populations Improving off U.S. East Coast
from The Fishing Wire

Cutting the line

Cutting the line to release a tagged white shark. Credit: Joe Mello, NEFSC/NOAA.

The longest running coastal shark research survey along the East Coast has completed its 2015 field work, capturing and tagging more than 2,800 sharks, the most in the survey’s 29-year history. The results are very good news for shark populations.

“We caught fish throughout the survey,” said Lisa Natanson, a scientist at the Narragansett Laboratory of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and leader of the coastal shark survey. “Sandbar sharks were all along the coast, while most of the dusky sharks were off North Carolina. We captured a bull shark for the first time since 2001, and recaptured 10 sharks previously tagged by our program and two sharks tagged by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.”

The survey began in 1986 and is conducted every two to three years. It covers coastal waters from Florida, where coastal shark species concentrate during the winter and spring, north to Delaware, where many shark species migrate during spring and summer as more northerly waters warm. Following this migratory route, at this time of year, makes it easier to survey the whole population.

tagging a shark

Lisa Natanson tagging a shark. Credit: Joe Mello, NEFSC/NOAA.

The last survey was in 2012, during which 1,831 sharks were captured and tagged, compared with 2,835 in 2015. Sandbar, Atlantic sharpnose, dusky, and tiger sharks were the most common shark species captured this year. In all, 13 shark species were among the 16 species of fish caught. The three non-shark species were remora, cobia and gold spot eel.

“Sharks are very vulnerable. Even though they are at the top of the oceanic food chain and can live for decades, they are fragile in the sense that compared to other fish they grow very slowly, reproduce late in life and have only a few offspring,” said Karyl Brewster-Geisz of NOAA Fisheries Office of Highly Migratory Species. “An increase in the numbers caught and tagged during each survey indicates a slow climb back. It is very good news for shark populations and for the ecosystem.”

This year, the survey was conducted aboard the 100-foot charter fishing vessel Eagle Eye II from Port Royal, South Carolina, from April 4 to May 22, and from just south of Ft. Pierce, Florida to North Carolina. As in 2012, poor weather and time prevented sampling further north. The surveys are conducted in the 5-40 fathom (30 to 240 feet) depth zone with most sampling between 11-20 fathoms (66 to 120 feet deep) and use commercial Florida-style bottom longline fishing methods to standardize survey results. This method uses a long, or main, line with baited shark hooks spaced at regular intervals along the line.

“The number of fish this year was amazing. We captured and tagged more fish than ever before, but once again weather was a factor. It started off nice, but conditions worsened as we headed north,” said Natanson.

sandbar shark

A sandbar shark is brought aboard for tagging. Credit: Lisa Natanson, NEFSC/NOAA.

Most (2,179, or 77 percent) of the sharks captured were tagged and released, 434 (15.3 percent) were brought aboard, and 222 (7.8 percent) were released untagged or lost. Researchers record the length, sex, and location of each animal caught. Environmental information, such as water temperature and ocean chemistry, was also obtained at each station.

Researchers do not intentionally kill any animals for their studies. However, some sharks do not survive capture, and these are carefully dissected at sea to obtain biological samples important for studies on shark age and growth, reproduction, and food habits. On this survey, reproductive information was obtained from 170 sharks, backbones were removed for age and growth work from 109 sharks, and stomachs were examined in 82 sharks. The scientists also collect parasites, DNA and blood samples.

Among the catch this year were three white sharks, which were tagged and released; all were less than eight feet long. No white sharks were captured during the 2012 survey, and only one white shark was captured during the 2009 survey. The largest shark captured on the 2015 survey was a tiger shark, 12.5 feet in fork length, off North Carolina.

Natanson said the survey’s primary goal is to gather information about the distribution, abundance, and species composition of sharks found in these waters. Survey objectives also include tagging sharks for migration studies and collecting catch-per-unit-effort data.

tag a tiger shark

Lisa Natanson (in yellow hard hat) and the ship’s crew tag a tiger shark. Credit: Cami McCandless, NEFSC/NOAA.

“All the survey data are provided to NOAA Fisheries managers to monitor the health and abundance of shark populations in the Atlantic,” said Natanson. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of sharks in every survey since 2001; that reflects management efforts to conserve the populations of various shark species.”

NOAA Fisheries is the federal agency charged with managing commercial and recreational shark fisheries in U.S. waters, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The United States shark management began in 1993; currently 42 species are managed.

In addition to Natanson and colleagues from the NEFSC’s Narragansett and Woods Hole Laboratories, researchers participating in the 2015 survey came from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of New Haven.

Another memorable tale from the 2015 survey
In addition to the record number of sharks caught this year, which was itself cause for excitement, the team aboard the Eagle Eye II also rescued five people off Oregon Inlet in North Carolina during the survey. Their small fishing boat had experienced engine trouble and was adrift in the Gulf Stream. The boat’s mayday signal was not received by the Coast Guard, but was by the Eagle Eye II, who came to the rescue. After determining that everyone aboard was okay, they contacted the Coast Guard and towed the vessel for a few hours closer to shore, where the Coast Guard took over.

What Is Being Done for Endangered Salmon in California?

For Endangered Salmon in California, a Very Measured Sip of Cold Water

With Chinook salmon facing lethally high stream temperatures, scientists deploy a new device to help manage the dwindling supply of cold water that the fish need to survive.

By Rich Press, NOAA Fisheries Science Writer | Follow Rich on Twitter: @Rich_NOAAFish
from The Fishing Wire

Chinook Salmon

Chinook Salmon. Credit: Michael Humling/USFWS.

The State of California, now in the fourth year of a historic drought, is parched. But in the north of the state, at the bottom of the reservoir behind Shasta Dam, lies a big drink of cold water. For salmon in the Sacramento River, especially winter-run Chinook—considered by NOAA Fisheries to be among the eight endangered species most at risk of extinction—that cold water is a lifeline. Water managers tap it to cool off the river in summertime, when streams become hot enough to kill developing salmon eggs and newly hatched fry.

The cold water flows in from the mountains as snowmelt. But with winter snowpack at record lows, the supply of cold water is dwindling. If it’s not managed carefully, winter-run Chinook might be lost forever.

So last month, scientists from NOAA Fisheries and the University of Nevada, Reno, installed a new system to measure the temperature of the water behind Shasta Dam. The temperature profiler, which is based on fiber optic technology, will allow scientists to accurately estimate how much cold water is available so it can be used as efficiently as possible.

“The big question we’re facing, especially during this drought, is how much of the river can we keep cool enough for salmon eggs to survive?” said Eric Danner, the NOAA Fisheries biologist and salmon expert who is leading the project. “And can we keep it cool through October without running out of cold water first?”

Measuring the Vertical Temperature Profile

lower a fiber optic cable

Cherisa Friedlander and Skip Bertolino of NOAA Fisheries and Scott Tyler of the University of Nevada, Reno, lower a fiber optic cable to the bottom of the reservoir behind Shasta Dam. The fiber optic system will provide a continuous, real-time temperature reading at every depth of the reservoir, allowing for more efficient management of the dwindling supply of cold water that endangered salmon need to survive. Credit: Rachel Hallnan/University of Nevada, Reno.
Cold water is heavier than warm water, so when it flows into the reservoir, it sinks to the bottom like hidden treasure. The agency that operates the dam, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, manages downstream water temperatures by mixing cold water from the bottom of the reservoir with warm water from above before sending it through the dam.

Until now, technicians from the Bureau of Reclamation measured the cold-water pool manually by going out on the lake every 2 weeks and dropping a temperature probe at various locations. That method is time-tested, but it left a lot of uncertainty in the results.

At the heart of the new system is a fiber optic cable that runs from the surface of the reservoir to the bottom. Photons are shot through the cable, and the backscatter can be interpreted to measure the temperature at every point along the cable. This will provide a continuous, real-time temperature reading at every depth.

The temperature data will be freely available online. In addition, water managers will be able to run computer simulations to predict how long the cold water will last, and what stream temperatures will result, given different scenarios of weather and dam operations.

Surviving in a New Environment

install a fiber optic-based temperature sensor

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries and the University of Nevada, Reno, install a fiber optic-based temperature sensor in the reservoir behind Shasta Dam. Credit: Rachel Hallnan/University of Nevada, Reno.
Before Shasta Dam was built, Chinook salmon traveled far upstream to spawn. Today, the dam blocks their passage, forcing them to spawn downstream, where water temperatures are higher. Because they didn’t evolve under these conditions, Chinook and many other species are not adapted to the hot water they find themselves in today.

Winter-run Chinook are especially vulnerable because of their timing. As their name indicates, they swim upstream in winter. Most spawn in late spring, and their eggs and newly hatched fry—the life stages most at risk from high temperatures—must survive the heat of summer.

“If the water gets too warm, the eggs are stuck in a tomb under the gravel,” said NOAA Fisheries biologist Garwin Yip. If high temperatures don’t kill the eggs outright, they can cause higher rates of disease. And even if the young fry do make it out of their nests, they face long odds as well, as high temperatures make predators more voracious.

The goal of water managers is to keep the average daily stream temperature no higher than 56 degrees Fahrenheit through October. Last year, due to imperfect estimates of its volume, the cold-water pool was unexpectedly drained by mid-September, and stream temperatures soon shot up to 62 degrees. Scientists estimate that only 5 percent of winter-run Chinook eggs survived as fry in the upper Sacramento River, compared to 25 percent survival in an average year.

Chinook Salmon

Chinook salmon. Credit: NOAA.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened last year,” Danner said.

Hopefully, with the new fiber optic temperature profiler in place, water managers will be able to take very controlled sips from the cold-water pool, and make sure it lasts until the salmon are out of danger.

Are There Snakes On My Property?

Yep, You’ve Probably Got Snakes Around

EDITOR’S NOTE: Today’s feature from David Rainer of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources points out the fact that healthy land means you have all sorts of wildlife on it- including….snakes.
from The Fishing Wire

Like humans this time of year, just about all God’s critters are looking for some shade, even those that give a good many people the shivers.

Despite being cold-blooded animals, snakes don’t like to get too hot in the summertime, and you may find a variety of reptiles seeking shelter from the hot summer sun.

A buddy of mine was concerned about finding a snake, which may or may not have been a cottonmouth, near his house recently.

Roger Clay, Non-Game Biologist with the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF), said if landowners and homeowners aren’t seeing a snake every once in a while, then something isn’t right.

“A lot of people always try to attribute seeing snakes this time of year to some kind of weather phenomenon,” Clay said. “It’s so hot. It’s so wet. It’s so dry. Some people say they haven’t seen a snake in X number of years, but there’s got to be snakes around. By some coincidence they see a couple in a short amount of time. Because they hadn’t seen any in a long time, they think they are suddenly overrun with snakes. But they’re really not.

“If you have a healthy environment, you’re going to have snakes. That’s the way it is. If you have a field next to you and they’re doing construction work or something, they may run a few snakes onto your property. That might be the phenomenon that accounts for you seeing a couple of snakes.”

Clay said if you live near water, then you’ll likely encounter a few snakes and other critters that live in and around the water or are just coming by to get a drink.

“Some people still don’t realize that any snake that lives around water is not a cottonmouth,” he said. “There are many more snakes that live in and amongst the water other than a cottonmouth.”

Clay said it’s sometimes hard to convince folks there are more than two kinds of snakes, what they call “water moccasins” and “ground rattlers.”

“For some people, every snake they see is a venomous snake, but in Alabama there are only six venomous snakes,” he said.

The venomous species include the pit vipers: cottonmouth, copperhead and the three rattlesnakes – eastern diamondback, timber and pygmy. The sixth venomous snake is the extremely rare coral snake.

“The coral snake is so rare you’re not going to find it in the front yard,” Clay said. “Coral snakes are usually limited to the southern half of the state, although we have records of them in the central part of state. A coral snake is so boldly colored people are not going to mistake it for one of the other snakes.”

There is an old saying about the coral snake that will give people an idea of what they’re looking for in identifying a coral snake.

It goes, “Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, friend to Jack.”

Clay said there are a couple of snakes that mimic the coral snake’s banding, but a coral snake has the only banding where yellow touches red.

“If somebody does see a coral snake, please let us know because they are so rare,” he said.

In terms of identifying the pit vipers, Clay said the dead giveaway is the elliptical pupil in the eye, although he realizes most people don’t want to get anywhere close enough to see an elliptical pupil.

“Some people say you can identify them with their triangular-shaped head,” he said. “That might be kinda true, but you can’t use that for positive identification. There are several non-venomous snakes that can change the shape of their heads to look triangular. It’s not doing them any good, but they want you to leave them alone.”

Clay said the appearance of a cottonmouth can vary depending on its age.

The juvenile cottonmouth (top) has distinct markings and a noticeable lightly tipped tail as it swims through the water. An adult of the species displays its “cottonmouth” (center) as a warning signal. The round pupil in the eye of a rat snake (bottom) indicates it is not a pit viper, which has an elliptical pupil similar to a cat’s eye.

Juvenile Cottonmouth

Adult Cottonmouth

Non-poisionous Snake

“When a cottonmouth is young, it has a pretty distinct pattern,” he said. “As it gets older, the pattern gets obscured. Secondly, when cottonmouths and copperheads are young, they’ll have a brightly colored tip on their tail. If you come across anything with a brightly colored tip on its tail, leave it alone.”

Obviously, most rattlers are identified by a diamond-shaped pattern and other markings as well as the rattlers. But other snakes also have distinctive patterns.

“If somebody sees a rat snake, they might think it has a pattern similar to a rattlesnake,” Clay said. “Rat snakes are definitely beneficial. It might be the best mouse and rat catcher out there.

“The question is whether you would rather have a rat snake out in your yard or a rat in your house?”

Clay said all snakes are beneficial in their own ways, especially the kingsnake, which regularly dines on several of the venomous species.

In fact, there was a video on Facebook of an eastern kingsnake consuming a rattlesnake. The video starts with the rattlesnake hopelessly snared in the kingsnake’s coils. The kingsnake then slowly swallows the rattlesnake head first. About 10 minutes later, the rattlers disappear down the kingsnake’s mouth.

“Kingsnakes are famous for eating other snakes, including venomous snakes,” Clay said. “Obviously, you don’t want to kill a beneficial kingsnake. The thing about a kingsnake is that its head is not going to look like a pit viper.”

Clay said sometimes people will mistake other reptiles for a rattlesnake because they hear some kind of rattling noise.

“A lot of snakes will vibrate their tails when they feel threatened,” he said. “If they’re in dry leaves, it may sound like a rattle. That’s just a defense mechanism.

“The good thing about snakes is they eat only small animals and other critters. They don’t eat fruits or vegetables. The small snakes are going to eat insects or small invertebrates. The larger snakes like the black racer, garter snake and rat snake will eat what they can catch, which is mice, rats and other snakes.”

Most snakes will seek an escape from the summer heat and will typically find shelter underground.

“Snakes don’t like it too cold or too hot,” Clay said. “You’re going to find them in shady areas in the summertime. If they get caught out in the sun for too long, they’ll get too hot and die. So they’ll be seeking shelter during the hot times of the day.”

If a snake is encountered, Clay recommends that you give the reptile a wide berth and leave it alone.

“A lot of people want to know if there is anything they can buy that will keep the snakes away,” Clay said. “The short answer is no. Snakes generally like hiding places, so keep your yard mowed low and keep it nice and tidy to eliminate hiding places. If you’ve got a pond nearby, keep the edges trimmed of tall grass.”

—David Rainer
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

How Is Alabama Saltwater Fishing Doing?

Alabama’s Saltwater Fishing Doing Just Fine

By David Rainer
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
from The Fishing Wire

Judging by the number of record fish caught in the past year and a half, it appears Alabama’s saltwater fishing is doing just fine.

Ten records were established in 2014, and five more have been established in 2015 with several months left to fish.

One of the most impressive fish that made the record book was a snowy grouper caught by Tyler Kennedy of Mobile in 2014. That fish weighed 68 pounds, 9 ounces. The world record is 70 pounds, 7 ounces.

Another record set in 2014 was a king mackerel caught by Jeremy Goldman during last year’s Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. That fish was a dollop of fish slime away from 70 pounds. The official weight was 69 pounds, 15.84 ounces.

Cubera snapper

The cubera snapper caught by Brett Rutledge of Mobile was another impressive 2014 catch at 84 pounds, 9 ounces. Also on the big fish list was a jack crevalle caught by Joseph Condry Pope IV of Alabaster, Ala., that weighed 40 pounds, 2 ounces.

Others on the 2014 record listed included a 5.0-pound Darwin’s slimehead (aka big roughy) caught by Lance Smith of Lithia Springs, Ga.; a scorpionfish caught by Ike Farmer of Salem, Ala., that weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces; a sharksucker caught by Dylan Andrew Bauman of Spanish Fort, Ala., at 5 pounds, 13.2 ounces; a great northern tilefish caught by Dick Paul of Pensacola, Fla., at 35 pounds, 5.6 ounces; a tomtate caught by Lauren Ogle of Muncie, Ind., at 1 pound, 4.6 ounces; and a whopper of a big eye tuna caught by Bobby Abernathy of Merryville, La., at 236 pounds.

The first fish to make the record book in 2015 was a 13-pound, 9-ounce monster of a sheepshead caught by Branden Ryan Collier of Irvington, Ala.

Other fish to make the book in 2015 included a huge bull shark caught by Jeff Moore of Birmingham that weighed 448 pounds, 4 ounces; a blue angelfish caught by Natalie Parker-Beach of Fairhope, Ala., at 2 pounds, 10.6 ounces; and a cutlassfish caught by John Robert Frain of Cumming, Ga., at 3 pounds, 5 ounces. A horse-eye jack caught by Marcus Kennedy of Mobile that weighed 22 pounds, 7.2 ounces caught this July is the latest addition to the record book.

“The fact we continue to set state records in many categories, both inshore and offshore, just shows what a good fishery we have in all our waters in Alabama,” said Chris Blankenship, Director of the Alabama Marine Resources Division. “We set records on inshore species like jack crevalle and sheepshead. Then we had the offshore fish in the bigeye tuna, king mackerel and snowy grouper.”

Blankenship said that several species that made the record books in 2013 and 2014 were deep-water species that indicated somewhat of a shift away from the traditional reef-fishing activities for species like red snapper and triggerfish, both of which have limited seasons now.

“I think people were doing more deep-dropping to catch species like the tilefish,” he said. “I think people are branching out into the deep water to fish the edge of the shelf. We’re seeing some species that weren’t as popular in years past.

“But at the end of 2014 and into 2015, the record fish we’re seeing are more of the traditional species. A 13-pound sheepshead is a fine catch, and that came from just off Dauphin Island. You could see the boat ramp from where that fish was caught.”

There was also one application for record-fish status that was rejected earlier this year. An application was submitted for a yellowedge grouper, but the state record fish committee denied the application, determining the fish was a scamp, another member of the grouper family.

“The state record fish committee is made up of scientists, local fishing guides and communicators who are very knowledgeable about the fish,” Blankenship said.

When someone submits an application for a state record fish, the rules that apply are: The boat has to leave and return from an Alabama port; the fish must be weighed on certified scales and be witnessed; photos of the fish must accompany the application for verification purposes.

Catch big fish in Saltwater in Alabama

Another requirement is that if the species can’t be verified by the photos submitted, the fish must be kept frozen for 14 days for possible inspection.

“In the particular case of the yellowedge grouper, Dr. Bob Shipp and Dr. Will Patterson felt sure it was a scamp and not a yellowedge,” Blankenship said. “The fish was not saved for inspection, so the application was denied.

“That shows the state record fish committee worked the way it was supposed to, that records are awarded to those that are deserving and meet all the criteria.”

The special red snapper season in Alabama waters for the month of July recently concluded, and Blankenship was a little surprised by the results.

“The state red snapper season was viewed very positively by the fishing community,” he said. “We didn’t have as much participation as I thought we would. But during the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and the Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament, I did see a lot of red snapper weighed. It was definitely enjoyable to see people enjoying fishing in state waters during the rodeos.”

Blankenship said one theory for the lack of participation in the state red snapper season was the enforcement issue regarding the state waters limit. Alabama enforces a state waters limit of 9 miles, while federal officials enforce a 3-mile limit.

“I think some people were apprehensive about taking the risk between 3 and 9 miles,” he said. “I do think that was a big part of it. And we don’t have a huge red snapper population in state waters. The bulk of the snapper population is outside that 9-mile limit.

“But we did see some nice triggerfish catches during the state season. Although triggerfish weren’t part of our Snapper Check system, our biologists and enforcement officers saw a lot of triggerfish come in to the docks. I think the population of triggerfish has really rebounded the last couple of years. With the federal management of triggerfish, it has kept down people’s access to that fishery as it rebuilds. The federal system takes a couple of years to catch up with what’s being seen on the water. The population of triggerfish offshore and in state waters has really picked up.”

Amberjack season re-opened on August 1, which gives anglers one of the more popular species to catch while red snapper season is closed.

“Here at Marine Resources, we’re trying to build reefs that are more productive for species like amberjack,” Blankenship said. “We put 25-foot-tall pyramids down two years ago. We sunk a 70-foot boat off Dauphin Island. We sunk a rig as part of the Rigs to Reefs program south of Dauphin Island. We’re increasing habitat for species other than red snapper. We’ve built some great habitat for amberjack so our fishermen will have opportunities to fish for other species while red snapper and triggerfish are closed.”

PHOTOS: No strangers to the Alabama saltwater record book, the father-son duo of Tyler and Marcus Kennedy have two entries each on the list. Tyler’s latest entry is a 68-pound, 7-ounce snowy grouper, while dad, Marcus, added a horse-eye jack that weighed 22 pounds, 7.2 ounces.

What Is Gila Trout Management?

Conservation Genetics Steers Gila Trout Management
Craig Springer
from The Fishing Wire

Gila Trout

A trout that once stared at extinction offers wilderness angling opportunities

The trout stole its color from a southern New Mexico summer sunset. Gila trout sport a painter’s pallet of pink and olive, rose, yellow and copper and a few tones in between. Beneath the black pepper flakes that fleck its side lies a lexis—a language carried forward from another time. It’s an ancient language coded in molecules of proteins written by the press of time and experience in a land turned arid.

Gila trout, native only to headwater streams that vein over the Mogollon Rim of New Mexico and Arizona, have expressed in their genetic makeup a mapping of how to survive in the vestiges of what surely was a large and contiguous range. Their genetics equip them to face what nature may hurl at them in an already harsh environment.

It’s those innate characteristics coiled in the double-helix of DNA that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists strive to preserve in the fish. Conservation genetics is at its heart an investment in the future with an eye on the past. Dr. Wade Wilson with the Southwestern Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center in Dexter, New Mexico, knows Gila trout like few others can; he’s a geneticist and can de-code the language. It’s his charge in the conservation of Gila trout to help ensure that the diversity of genetic characters unique in this fish stay in the fish going forward.

Wilson works adjunct with another U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility in New Mexico, the Mora National Fish Hatchery near Las Vegas where captive stocks of the rare yellow trout are held. Hatchery biologists are fully immersed in Gila trout captive breeding, and it’s done smartly, carefully, through the consult of Wilson.

“We monitor genetic diversity in captive trout to ensure that what we have in the hatchery represents what we have in the wild,” said Wilson. That mixture is essential for the future. “The more genetic diversity that exists among the fish, the better chance those future generations of Gila trout can adapt to changing environments and stressors and diseases in wild populations,” Wilson adds.

“Here’s how we get it done,” explains an enthusiastic Nate Wiese, Mora’s manager and lead fisheries scientist. “Each fish gets a microchip injected just under the skin just like your vet can do for your dog. That chip gives each fish a personal ID, like a social security number. Knowing each fish at an individual level is a first step in securing the future of Gila trout.”

With every captive fish in the hatchery marked as such, biologists take non-lethal tissue samples from the fish, a tiny piece of fin. From there it’s up to Wilson and his staff using leading-edge technology to look deep at each fish—at the molecular level. Wilson will pinpoint individual fishes with the rarest of genetics in the captive populations and suggest what Wiese calls “pair-wise spawns.” It’s akin to arranged marriages but with the express scientific purpose to ensure that the rarest of genetic characters found by Wilson are carried forward in the next generation of fishes. Males and females that differ among various genes make the best partners.

The Gila trout was described by science a mere 65 years ago. Through much of that intervening time—50 years—it had been closed by law to angling as the fish stared at extinction. Its lot improved with conservation and was down-listed from “endangered” to “threatened” in 2006, and opened to fishing a year later. And so it remains, threatened and fishable, despite a welter of catastrophic wild fires—the sort that makes the evening network news broadcast for days on end.

“An integral part of the conservation strategy calls to replicate in the wild the distinct genetic lineages,” said Wiese. It’s a measure of conservation security to give a geographic spread between populations. “But what happens when a massive fire threatens to gobble up the original and replicate populations? The hatchery is the back up.”

Fire is hard on trout, particularly when a mountain stream turns into a slug of ash slurry at first rain post-fire. The Whitewater-Baldy Fire that decimated the Gila Wilderness in 2012 necessitated a trout rescue ahead of such circumstances. New Mexico Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office biologist Dustin Myers based in Albuquerque led such rescues involving pack horses and helicopters and hatchery trucks from streams sure to be slugged by ash. Now, Mora National Fish Hatchery is home to the only known population of the Spruce Creek lineage of Gila trout. Three other strains are held there, too: Main Diamond Creek, Whiskey Creek and South Diamond Creek lineages.

Aside from the robust genetics plans that steer captive breeding, Wiese manages the hatchery to produce Gila trout conditioned toward a wild environment. Instead of growing lazy trout as fat as toads, they are in a captive environment that mimics nature—like boulders, plants and fast-flowing water. “We get them off the couch and on a treadmill,” said Wiese. “They are going to be better suited for real streams. It’s like tough-love for your children.”

Those real streams are still healing from the 2012 fire and the Silver Fire that scorched headwaters atop the Black Range in 2013, and fish will return to them this autumn. Myers makes that call as to what streams are ready for trout. “Since the Whitewater-Baldy Fire we’ve replicated Whiskey Creek lineage in McKenna Creek and Upper White Creek,” said Myers. “Whiskey fish will also go into Sacaton Creek this year. But Whiskey Creek itself is still healing and we have to wait for habitat conditions to improve.”

It’s about the habitat—including ensuring that Gila trout waters remain free of mongrel or nonnative trouts that compromise the genetic integrity of pure lineages via interbreeding. Barriers, made on site, or natural waterfalls are a means of segregating fishes. Toward that end, Myers recently worked with the Forest Service to restore a vital barrier, a natural waterfall, by blasting out lodged boulders to ensure 21 miles of prime Gila trout habitat in the West Fork Gila remain free of unwanted fishes.

The lack of habitat has been a vexation in Gila trout conservation. But science married with the resolve of individuals who care about this beautiful bright trout is a way forward. A certain splendor in the spectra of inspiring pigments reflected by a wet Gila trout call to mind Emerson: “If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.” But the beauty is richer than what strikes the eye; it’s that Gila trout sheltered in a hatchery and those facing the rigors of the wild still carry today the impress of the past.

Craig Springer works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Learn more at www.fws.gov/southwest

Editor’s Note:

The Southwest Region recently introduced Emphasis Areas as a way to focus our limited resources on geographic areas with the highest conservation need and potential for success, which also have opportunities for leveraging funding. The Mogollon Rim, home to Gila trout, is one of five geographic areas determined by the Regional leadership team to be an Emphasis Area.

is Lion and Elephant Trophy Hunting Wrong?

Lions and Ivory
from The Fishing Wire

In life, Cecil was a popular member of the lion population of Zimbabwea’s Hwange National Park. In his suspicious killing by a noted United States hunter, he’s become a lightning rod for controversy. The hunter faces possible poaching charges, although he has maintained his innocence, blaming the professional hunters who ok’d him to shoot the lion.

And two major hunting and wildlife groups, Safari Club International and the Dallas Safari Club, wasted no time weighing in yesterday on the controversy. DSC, the first to respond, called on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate the matter, especially into possible violations of American Wildlife Laws. It also supported the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe’s taking actions against its members who violate wildlife laws.

“DSC abhors poaching,” their statement reads (you can both statements in their entirety in today’s news section), commends the swift action of Zimbabewan authorities and supports the prosecution of convicted poachers to the fullest extent of the law.”

Safari Club International found itself in the uncomfortable position of both the hunter and professional being SCI members. But the organization didn’t hesitate to take decisive action in regards to both or to make it clear they supported strong actions when it comes to poaching.

“SCI has imposed immediate emergency membership suspensions of both the involved hunter and his guide/professional hunter,” their statement reads, “and they will remain in place pending the outcome of an investigation.”

“Safari Club International condemns unlawful and unethical hunting practices,” their statement continues, “SCI supports only legal hunting practices and those who comply with all applicable hunting rules and regulations, and SCI believes that those who intentionally take wildlife illegally should be prosecuted and punished to the maximum extent allowed by law.”

With that, two of the major groups representing hunters – especially trophy hunters- took what was an unquestioned stance against poaching-or the appearance of impropriety, since the full details into the death of Cecil aren’t known. And their decisive actions should help reinforce the idea that hunters aren’t some sub-species of human being, intent on wiping out wildlife across the globe in search of trophy animals.

Nothing could be further to the truth when it comes to the true biological facts of trophy animals- they’re generally beyond their prime when it comes to reproduction or contributions to their species’ survival- and in some cases, like last year’s hotly-protested black rhino hunts, the elderly bulls were actually detriments to the survival of their species. Hopefully, the strong statements and action on behalf of SCI, will help open some eyes to the facts, not the emotion of the matter of hunting.

In another matter, however, it’s the action that confirms the intent. The intent of the administration is to kill the ivory trade in the United States- all of it. After delaying a proposed regulation for a year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has published their proposal for ivory in the Federal Register.

It is, in the words of Knife Rights chairman Doug Ritter, “as bad as expected.” The rule would hit legal owners of ivory- meaning knife owners, knifemakers, scrimshaw artists, and suppliers -hard making a few very narrow exceptions into what is otherwise a total ban on ivory trade -legal or otherwise.

According to the Knife Rights release (again, you can read it in today’s News Section) the ban is based on three premises- all false:

1) Elephant poaching is increasing…when CITES says poaching numbers have been falling since 2011 due to increased enforcement of anti-poaching laws.

2) Large amounts of illegal ivory are being imported into the US, driving the poaching increases…both CITES and U.S. data show that illicit ivory imports into the U.S. are insignificant- both name the Chinese as the demand fueling poaching

3) By banning American ivory trade, the Chinese consumer will abandon his cultural affinity for ivory…when the Chinese demand for illicit ivory is completely independent of the U.S. trade -or demand. The ban seeks to stop trade in decades-old, legally owned, domestic ivory.

As Knife Rights points out, USFWS Director Dan Ashe has stated the goal of the regulation is to implement a near complete ban on the domestic commercial trade of ivory. The federal government lacks the authority to stop trade in states, it seeks to stop any trade across state lines.

As Ritter explained, “there is no evidence this ban would save a single elephant in Africa, but it will take millions of dollars in value from honest Americans.”

So what can we do? Contact our Congressional delegations and tell them they should co-sponsor the African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2015 to protect honest U.S. ivory owners while providing additional conservation and anti-poaching efforts in Africa.

Is Big Game Trophy Hunting Wrong?

A few years ago a friend of mine from Wisconsin, Steve Huber, came for a visit in January. Steve was doing a TV show and we went to Clarks Hill to film a striper fishing show and to South Georgia to film a hog hunt. Both trips were a lot of fun.

Steve told me about going to Africa on Safari to kill some of the animals there and also about a caribou hunt in Canada. He said he was setting up some more trips and asked if I would be interested in going with him as an assistant, and have the opportunity to shoot some of the animals I had only read about.

Other than the fact I hate flying and would have to get on an airplane, I really had no desire to shoot big game like that. I have no desire to kill a lion, for example. Hunting around here for whitetail deer does not require flying, and I love venison. But I would rather be fishing than hunting.

There is a huge uproar about a dentists killing a well-known lion on Safari in Africa. There are all kinds of silly claims on the internet and news about this incident and the usual flaky anti-hunters are using it to push their agenda. Some of the things they say don’t make sense, and some are outright lies.

Although I have no desire to go on a Safari, I would never condemn those that do. I am a bass fishing fanatic and I am sure their desire and enjoyment of hunting is similar to my enjoyment of fishing. Just because I don’t want to do something is no reason for me to condemn those that do.

In Africa, game management is dependent on trophy hunting. The dentist paid $50,000 just for the license to hunt a lion and that money is supposed to go to the country he was in for management of game. He also spend many thousands more when he got there, helping the local economy.

Some folks seem to think this lion he killed was a pet. It was in a sanctuary where hunting is not allowed, but as best I can tell the lion was killed over a mile outside its borders. Some claim the lion was lured outside the sanctuary by baiting so it could be shot. As best I can tell baiting is legal in that country.

Some reports I have seen say the lion was old and not in great health. In lion prides, when the dominate male gets old he is killed by a younger, stronger lion that takes his place. That is nature. Nature is what we consider cruel, but animals don’t have emotions, that is just the way wild animals live and die.

I find it really strange that so many folks and mainstream media get their knickers in a knot about something like this but the murder of five of our military don’t seem to faze them. They go crazy about killing a lion but ignore videos showing folks cutting up babies for their parts.

For all the people condemning the dentists, put your money where your mouth and prejudices are. How much have you donated for wildlife management in Africa? How much are you willing to spend, of your own money not everyone else’s tax money, to support wildlife in Africa? Or anywhere else.

Game animals are better protected if they have a value. If locals can make money off hunters, they will protect the animals. Otherwise why would you want wild lions living near you? Lions will kill and eat people, so throughout history in Africa lions have been killed to protect the folks sharing the same habitat.

In the same vein there is a thing going around on Facebook showing a guy with a big camera taking pictures while some kind of wild feline cuddles with him. The caption says “This is how real men hunt.” Other than the fact pictures don’t taste too good no matter how you cook them, it is silly.

Hunt with a camera if you want. Cuddle with wild animals if you want. But don’t be surprised when, like the silly woman trying to take a selfie in Yellowstone Park with a bison, you get gored. And don’t whine when, like the idiot trying to take a selfie with a rattlesnake, you get bit and it costs you $150,000 in hospital bills.

Some of the pictures do reflect real life and death in nature. Like the one showing a crocodile pulling a water buffalo calf into the water for lunch. And the one showing a pride of lions attacking a baby elephant. Nature is not cruel, it is just the way it works.

I will continue to kill deer and eat them.

Why Does Fishing Need To Be Preserved Biscayne National Park?

Legislation Introduced to Preserve Fishing Access in Biscayne National Park

Editor’s Note: Today, news on legislation designed to preserve fishing access to major portions of Biscayne National Park from the American Sportfishing Association (ASA).
from The Fishing Wire

Washington – On the heels of the recent announcement to close over 10,000 acres of Biscayne National Park to fishing, a coalition of recreational fishing and boating organizations praised the introduction of a bipartisan bill, H.R. 3310, that will help stop this and similar unwarranted fishing closures from occurring. Led by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), and 28 other original sponsors, the “Preserving Public Access to Public Waters Act” requires the National Park Service and Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to have approval from state fish and wildlife agencies before closing state waters to recreational or commercial fishing.

“Probably the most concerning aspect of the Biscayne National Park marine reserve decision is the total disregard for the fisheries management expertise of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,” said Mike Leonard, Ocean Resource Policy director for the American Sportfishing Association. “The states are responsible for nearly all of our nation’s saltwater fisheries management successes. This legislative safeguard will prevent the federal government from ignoring the fisheries management expertise of the states in these types of situations.”

Throughout the development of the General Management Plan for Biscayne National Park, through which the marine reserve is being implemented, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has provided detailed recommendations to improve the condition of the fisheries resources in the park. The Commission has continually expressed its position that the proposed marine reserve is overly restrictive to the public; will not be biologically effective; and that less restrictive management tools can rebuild the park’s fisheries resources and conserve habitat.

The recreational fishing and boating community has echoed these concerns, but nevertheless the National Park Service ultimately elected to close nearly 40 percent of the park’s reef tract to fishing.

“The Congressional leaders who are sponsoring this bill are to be commended for this common sense approach to protect saltwater anglers from unwarranted access restrictions,” said Chris Horton, Fisheries Program director for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “The Biscayne National Park marine reserve is part of a concerning trend of closing marine areas without scientific basis or an understanding of the critical role anglers play in the economy and in funding conservation.”

“Marine reserves are a tool in the fisheries management toolbox, but too often we see them promoted with questionable-at-best motivations,” said Jeff Miller, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association Florida’s Government Relations Committee. “This bill will ensure that Florida has a say in important fisheries management decisions in Biscayne National Park, including marine reserves, and that similar issues don’t arise in other parts of the state and country.”

On Monday, August 3, the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Small Business will hold a joint hearing to explore the potential implications of lost access due to the Biscayne marine reserve. The hearing will begin at 10am EST and is being held at the William F. Dickinson Community Center in Homestead, Florida.

Should You Fish for Bedding Bass?

Fishing For Bedding Bass

Georgia has some of the best bass fishing in the United States. We hold the world record largemouth and you can catch seven of the eight kinds of black bass here. There are many public lakes and rivers where you can go and catch bass all year long.

Each year Georgia bass clubs send in a Creel Census Report that documents club tournaments. Carl Quertermus at the University of West Georgia has been keeping these records since 1978 and they show an amazing consistency in bass catches. There might be a cycle on some lakes over a few years but overall the averages change very little.

Our bass regulations are very liberal with a 12 inch size limit on most waters and a creel limit of ten bass per person most places. Yet our bass fishing holds up year after year. But some bass fishermen call for changes in regulations even though state fisheries biologists study the lakes on a daily basis and recommend regulations based on scientific research.

One of the most controversial things bass fishermen do, and it is happening right now, is catching bass off the beds. Tournament fishermen target big spawning females and some have perfected tactics to catch them. This is the time of year those big females are easiest to catch.

Is catching bass off the bed a problem? At first glance it seems taking a big female off the bed before she can spawn or catching a male guarding bass fry soon after the spawn would cause problems. And it might mean the loss of that bed and those fry that year. But what are the long term effects of bed fishing?

First you must understand nature and reproduction of wild fish. To have a successful life and keep bass populations stable a female bass has to produce only two offspring her whole life. She must produce a young bass to replace her and one to replace the male. Not each year, but only one time in her life.

Even without catching bass off the bed almost no eggs will survive and produce a bass that will live more than one year if the population is stable. Nature does not work that way. If many survived they would overpopulate and starve. So even if you take a female off the bed and she does not produce any young after being caught, she may have produced offspring in years past. And there are always many other bedding females that can take up the slack.

What about the genetics. Many fishermen say it is bad to take a trophy bass off the bed and remove her from the gene pool. Although you may stop her from spawning in the future, her genes, if good, are already in the gene pool from successful spawns in past years. A ten pound bass has spawned many times over her life so her genes should be widespread.

Since almost all bass caught in tournaments are released alive after weigh-in many of the females will complete the spawn even after being caught. It depends on where they are in their egg laying cycle when they are caught. And the male will eat his own offspring after guarding them. It seems at some point his parent feelings run out and he starts feeding on his own fry. So if you catch him just before he starts eating his young more of them survive.

Sight fishing for bedding bass is what is usually condemned, but the same people blasting sight fishermen will often happily drag a Carolina rigged lizard through spawning flats to catch bass. They, too, are catching bass off the beds, they just don’t see them first.

If you don’t like bed fishing for bass, don’t do it. But be aware it has not had any impact on our public waters in all the years we have been tracking bass populations.

What Is the Georgia Bass Club Creel Census Report?

Georgia Bass Club Creel Census Report

I have always been fascinated with fishing records and statistics to the point of keeping a record of every bass I have caught since I was 12 years old. The Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Creel Census Report compiled by Dr. Carl Quertermus at the University of West Georgia provides me with a lot of great bass fishing information.

Starting in 1978 Dr. Quertermus compiled records of club tournaments and now contracts with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division on it. The Georgia Bass Chapter Federations require each of their clubs to send in a detailed report after each tournament. Each report includes number of fishermen, number of hours fished, lake, winning weight, total weight, total number of bass, big bass weight, number of limits, number of zeroes, number of spots, largemouth and other bass, and more.

One of the most surprising facts to me is the amount of time it takes a typical club fisherman to land a keeper bass and the average size of that bass. It has been very consistent over the 30 years of this study that the catch rate is .20 to .25. That means it takes four to five hours on average for a club fisherman to land one keeper. And that keeper will average less than 1.5 pounds.

The increasing population of spotted bass is well documented by this report. Lakes where spots are not native have seen huge increases in them. Jackson Lake had 99.52 percent largemouth reported in 1994. By 2007 that had changed to 52.4 percent. Russell had 96.66 percent largemouth in 1994 and 49.4 percent in 2007. For good or bad those changes were brought about by illegal stocking of spots by fishermen.

Dr. Quertermus is a founder of the Carroll Bassmasters and, after some time not fishing with them, is back in the club. He enjoys catching bass as well as studying them. In the In Fisherman 2001 Bass Guide he wrote an article “Timing the Bass Bite” using his reports on over 8000 club tournaments. It confirmed some of the things most bass fishermen believe, but also showed some of those beliefs to be wrong.
The best months for catching bass are April, March and May followed by October and November. No surprise there. But it was a surprise when he looked at night tournaments and found it really does not make any difference if you fish during the day or night even during the hottest months as far as catch rates go. It may be a lot more comfortable fishing at night but the bass don’t seem to care.
There was a difference in spots and largemouth at night. In looking at 677 day tournaments and 758 night tournaments on lakes with both spots and largemouth, there were more largemouth caught in day tournaments and more spots caught in night tournaments. It is a good idea to plan your night trips to lakes with good populations of spots.

When can you catch your biggest bass? Dr. Quertermus found the winning stringer weight for bass was higher in January, February, March and December. Also, the average biggest bass caught in tournaments was higher in March and February. So go fishing right now for bigger bass.

One of the biggest surprises is the fact Allatoona is NOT the Dead Sea. In 2007 it had the fourth highest catch rate per hour, following Clark’s Hill, Hartwell and Russell. In 2005 and 2006 it had the highest catch rate of any Georgia lake. It is hard to believe you can catch more bass at Allatoona than Sinclair but club reports show you can.

Looking at numbers is fun and they can help you decide which lake and time is your best bet, but doing your own research is much more fun!

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