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Archive for February 10th, 2010

DNRE Reminds Anglers About Bait Restrictions

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 Posted in Fishing News | Comments Off

As Winter Fee Fishing Weekend approaches, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment reminds anglers that the use of salmon eggs or minnows for bait is restricted in some waters as part of a strategy to slow the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). Anglers who purchase spawn or minnows for bait should make sure it is certified as disease-free. Certified bait is widely available and can be used anywhere. Uncertified bait may only be used in waters with fish that have tested positive for VHS. Anglers who collect their own salmon eggs for bait from lakes Michigan, Huron or Erie or their tributaries can only use them downstream from the first upstream barrier from the lake. They may not be used on inland lakes. Read more..

Helping Florida Wildlife Beyond The Cold Snap

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 Posted in Assorted Outdoors | Comments Off

The figures are astounding and unprecedented. More than 4,500 sea turtles were rescued from the cold water in January. Manatee carcasses continue to appear, putting the deaths for 2010 at more than 200 after only one month. For comparison, the highest number of manatee deaths for a single calendar year is 429. Massive efforts by the state’s wildlife agency, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), to rescue, save and recover the cold-stressed animals saved the lives of at least 80 percent of rescued sea turtles. Since the beginning of the year, biologists have rescued more than a dozen manatees statewide and transported them to rehabilitation facilities as needed, and transported manatee carcasses to the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s lab in St. Petersburg for examination. Volunteers, other government ... Read more..

Lake Status And Rainfall Effects On Fishing

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 Posted in Fishing News | Comments Off

Recent water quality test results from 20 out of 21 Urban Fishing Program waters were in the good to excellent range, meaning that all lakes are approved for fish stocking. Recent weather events brought large amounts of runoff into some lakes. For many lakes, the fresh water helped to improve oxygen levels and lower the pH levels making for better fishing conditions. However, a few lakes became more turbid from suspended soil sediments brought in from runoff or muddy water from the canals. Green Valley Lakes in Payson and Lakeside Lake in Tucson each experienced a high amount of runoff from large urban watersheds. Both of these lakes spilled over large amounts of water and remain very murky from all the suspended clay and silt. Trout stockings at Lakeside Lake have ... Read more..

Meeting To Outline Fish Virus Response At Bogachiel Hatchery

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 Posted in Environmental News | Comments Off

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has scheduled a public meeting Saturday, Feb. 13, in Forks to discuss plans to destroy about 250,000 winter steelhead eggs at the Bogachiel Hatchery, where a waterborne fish virus was recently discovered. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at the Forks Sportsmans Club, 243 Sportsmans Club Road. The virus, Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN), was recently discovered in returning adult winter steelhead at the Bogachiel Hatchery. Eggs taken from those fish at the hatchery will be destroyed because they could also have the infectious virus, said Ron Warren, regional fish program manager for WDFW. Read more..