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Structures Killing Fish Habitat

DENR Fears Man Made Structures Killing Fish Habitat

BILL HITCHCOCK AUGUST 27, 2012

DENR Fears Man Made Structures Killing Fish Habitat

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) is trying to find out if estuarine piers, docks, bridges and bulkheads are depleting the fishery habitat. For over two years now NCDENR has been mapping North Carolina’s 12,000 miles of estuarine shoreline in an attempt to create an online map showing all of these manmade structures and the effect on the environment they may have had. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models at fishiding.com, the leader in true fish protection.

NCDENR is working on the premise that man-made structures are blocking sunlight thus reducing the amount of sub-aquatic vegetation necessary for fish survival and propagation.They want to see how big of a shadow is being cast by man-made structures over the waters of North Carolina’s 20 coastal counties.

For more on the story go to the PilotOnline.com

Fish Habitat Restoration Boosts Economy

New home for the small fry

US – A new report by Ecotrust has found that watershed and fish habitat restoration in Oregon has created jobs and generated $977.5 million in economic activity between 2001 and 2010.

“Restoration can drive economic development and job creation, particularly in rural communities that have suffered from persistently high unemployment rates,” said Spencer B. Beebe, president and founder of Ecotrust. “And, unlike in many other sectors of our economy, restoration jobs can’t be outsourced to far-off places.” See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

Restoration projects create jobs for construction workers, landscapers, heavy equipment operators, and technical experts such as engineers and wildlife biologists. Restoration projects also create demand for local businesses, such as plant nurseries, quarries, and others.

Restoring habitat also benefits the economy in the long term. Habitat improvements intended to bolster fish runs promise to increase sport and commercial fishing opportunities in the coming years — already big business in Oregon.

“Habitat restoration jobs pay dividends twice, first in creating good, local jobs immediately, and then, for many decades to come, through increased benefits from fisheries, tourism and resiliency for coastal communities,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for fisheries for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA provides technical expertise and funding to restore coastal, marine, and migratory fish habitat in Oregon and around the nation.

A recent national study published in Marine Policy analysing job creation and other economic impacts from NOAA restoration projects found that an average of 17 jobs were created for $1 million invested. That rate of job creation is significantly higher than other industries, including coal, natural gas, or road and bridge construction.

Congressman Earl Blumenhauer, who represents Oregon’s third district and recently introduced HR 6249, the “Water Protection and Reinvestment Act,” a bill that calls for investment in clean water infrastructure across the nation, commented: “For too long, we have treated our rivers and waterways like machines to the detriment of water quality and quantity. Investing in restoration not only improves habitat for fish and wildlife, it creates jobs and bring much needed revenue to local communities. Oregon has tremendous opportunities for restoration that can serve as a model for the rest of the nation.”

A recent University of Oregon report found that an average of 90 cents of every dollar spent on restoration stays in the state, and 80 cents of every dollar spent stays in the county where a project is located. For example, of the nearly $400,000 invested to restore Little Butte Creek in Southern Oregon from 2009–2011, 72 per cent was spent in Jackson County, and 97 per cent was expended in Oregon. Over half of those dollars went to salaries that directly benefit Oregonians.

Mike Herrick, Owner of Aquatic Contracting said: “Over the last 10 years, restoration projects have allowed us to provide sustainable livings for our employees. They can use their skills in construction and feel good about what they are doing. We have grown from just a couple of employees to as many as 20. Without this funding we would not be able to provide these opportunities and support the local economies where we work.”

TheFishSite News Desk 27 August 2012

Michigan fish habitat reconstruction a great success for the fish

Bringing Back the Fish: Michigan Sea Grant Oversees Successful Habitat Reconstruction

By Stephanie Ariganello, Michigan Sea Grant

Plan for the fish habitat restoration project.
Credit: Michigan Sea GrantPlan for the fish habitat restoration project. Credit: Michigan Sea Grant

The unmanned camera bounced along a rock reef on floor of the St. Clair River. Researchers watched the monitor. Then a long, dark shape came into focus and another and another. The looming figures were lake sturgeon. The team whooped at the discovery: the restoration was working and much sooner than anticipated.

The goals of the project are to:

  • Construct one acre of fish spawning reefs connected to 14 square miles of nursery area in the St. Clair Delta.
  • Enhance the reproduction of native fish.
  • Restore fish habitat and help delist the St. Clair Area of Concern.
  • Improve understanding of fish communities and habitat restoration.

“It is science in action,” said Jennifer Read, assistant director of Michigan Sea Grant and project lead on the St. Clair River Middle Channel Restoration project. “This is the kind of research project where we’re performing research not just to learn new things, but to apply what we’ve discovered. And with this project, we’ve been rewarded with early success.”

The lake sturgeon were congregating on rock reefs installed as part of the restoration project in the St. Clair River, led by Michigan Sea Grant. The project focuses on restoring fish spawning habitat in order to add young fish to the stocks of several endangered or threatened fish species in Michigan, including lake sturgeon, mooneye, northern madtom catfish and river redhorse suckers. Valuable commercial and sport fish such as walleye, lake whitefish and perch are also expected to use the reefs for spawning.

“Obviously there was a need for more spawning habitat based on the immediate response by the sturgeon,” said Terry Heatlie, habitat restoration specialist with NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, Great Lakes Regional office. “It’s special because this would not have happened without the restoration project, without restoring spawning habitat in the river.”

click to expand imageReef habitat restoration in the St. Clair River Middle Channel. 
Credit: Michigan Sea GrantReef habitat restoration in the St. Clair River Middle Channel. Credit: Michigan Sea Grant

When given enough time, Heatlie said, some land or water issues heal themselves. With habitat restoration, that is not typically the case. It requires intervention. The construction was completed in June. Nine rock reefs were created, providing an acre of restored fish spawning habitat in the river.

The St. Clair River connects the waters of Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair, where water then flows through the Detroit River and eventually into Lake Erie. The channel is a major shipping route and forms a border between the U.S. and Canada. Because of its location in the heart of the Great Lakes, the restoration has potential to benefit waters upstream and downstream of the construction. The restoration efforts could also provide cultural and economic benefits, bolstering commercial and sport fishing and contributing to a higher quality of life in an area currently listed as an Area of Concern under the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

In the early 1900s, the rivers connecting Lakes Huron and Erie were widened and deepened to accommodate larger, modern commercial shipping vessels. Dredging and depositing the materials in different locations in the river damaged fish spawning sites — and subsequently, fish populations.

click to expand imageResearchers inspect egg mats as part of the Middle Channel Restoration project.
Credit: Michigan Sea GrantResearchers inspect egg mats as part of the Middle Channel Restoration project. Credit: Michigan Sea Grant

To compensate for the habitat loss, Michigan Sea Grant and project partners (U.S. Geological SurveyMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesU.S. Fish & Wildlife Servicethe University of MichiganNOAASmithGroup JJR andMichigan Wildlife Conservancy) constructed two reef projects previously in the Detroit River. The location and design of the Middle Channel reefs were chosen based on studies of fish populations and lessons learned during the previous projects.

“That’s what is really unique about the Middle Channel project,” said Read. “It reflects over ten years of work performed by a multi-agency science team tackling increasingly complex questions over a large geographical area. It represents a successful, system-wide approach to restoration.”

Researchers surveyed the new reefs and collected eggs. It was confirmed. Lake sturgeon successfully deposited and fertilized their eggs on the reefs and the eggs produced viable sturgeon larvae.

Post-construction assessments are planned to ensure the Middle Channel Reefs are being used by a variety of fish species. The goal, aside from reestablishing the habitat, is to help remove the St. Clair River from the bi-national list of Areas of Concern. Two more spawning reefs for native fish are being planned for the St. Clair River in 2013 and 2014, as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Wood habitat in Table Rock rotting away after 50 years underwater

This unusual barge can deposit several tons of rock into the lake to help create new fish habitat.

This unusual barge can deposit several tons of rock into the lake to help create new fish habitat. / Missouri Department of Conservation
Written by
David Casaletto
Executive Director, Ozarks Water Watch
The Missouri Department of Conservation uses this unusual barge to dump heavy rocks or tree stumps into Table Rock Lake to help improve fish habitat. MDC also uses a different 'fish habitat barge' to deposit trees and brush piles into the lake.

The Missouri Department of Conservation uses this unusual barge to dump heavy rocks or tree stumps into Table Rock Lake to help improve fish habitat. MDC also uses a different ‘fish habitat barge’ to deposit trees and brush piles into the lake. / Missouri Department of Conservation

Table Rock Lake is more than 50 years old.

When the lake was created, much of the Ozark forest was flooded, and the trees and brush provided cover for the lake’s fish populations. But after 50 years, most of that fish habitat has disappeared.

In 2007, the Table Rock Lake National Fish Habitat Initiative (NFHI) project began with the primary objective to improve fish habitat in Table Rock Lake. Additional goals include: Improve the water quality of Table Rock Lake and its tributaries, monitor the effectiveness and longevity of habitat structures, and develop a framework for a broader national habitat program.

Project partners include the Missouri Department of Conservation, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bass Pro Shops, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Power Administration, Ozarks Water Watch, Table Rock Lake Water Quality, James River Basin Partnership and other private groups and citizens.

To improve habitat, the Initiative project places cedar trees, hardwood treetops and recycled Christmas trees in the lake to create habitat with a “fish habitat barge.” The barge was built for this purpose by Tracker Marine in Lebanon, Mo. It is a large pontoon-style boat with a hydraulic lift on the front that raises and dumps the habitat into the lake.

Another barge called the “rock barge” is contracted to place larger (and heavier) habitat structure consisting of rocks, boulders and stumps. The state conservation department gets these materials from developers, contractors and landowners who are clearing land and need to dispose of them.

To date, 1,810 brush piles, 104 rock structures, 76 stump fields, 11 stump/rock combinations and 26 rock “fence” structures have been installed for a total of 2,027 new habitat structures in Table Rock Lake. These structures were placed in areas and depths that are available for fish during most of the year.

They have been located by positioning systems and can be found (and downloaded) on the department’s website at:http://newmdcgis.mdc.mo.gov/tablerock/. In addition, the department has placed green signs on the shoreline near some structures.

The Initiative also recognizes that water quality is a critical component of fish habitat. Funding has been contributed to the James River Basin Partnership, Table Rock Lake Water Quality and Ozarks Water Watch for cost sharing to homeowners to pump out septic tanks and replace failing septic systems.

These water quality organizations have combined over the past five years to pump out more than 2 million gallons of septic effluent and replace more than 100 failing septic systems.

All participants receive a packet of water quality educational materials and septic system maintenance information. Funds are still available to share the cost for pumpouts and for replacing failing septic systems.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

To monitor and evaluate the Initiative structures that have been placed in Table Rock Lake, the state conservation department has designated four evaluation techniques: fish sampling, Scuba observations, an angler survey and a black bass biotelemetry study.

By monitoring fish use of the habitat structures, the department is learning what techniques and designs work best for placing habitat during the remainder of the Initiative project and in other lakes in Missouri. Information gathered from the evaluation will allow the department to share ideas and techniques with other state agencies that are working to improve fish habitat in reservoirs.

By all accounts, this is a success story, but is that area going to be loaded with fish? Will a fisherman always be able to find fish off those trees? The only way to find out is to get out there and fish those areas. And the only way for biologists to know if the project is working is if anglers let them know.

Visitthe Missouri Department of Conservation websiteand download the GPS points, print off a map and go fish.

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