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World Record***** 2,649 Fish in 24 Hours…To Expose Kids to the Outdoors!!

Angler Nets 2,649 Fish in 24 Hours, Sets Record

Jeff Kolodzinski broke year-old world record

Updated: Sunday, 31 Jul 2011, 12:08 PM CDT
Published : Sunday, 31 Jul 2011, 12:07 PM CDT

MINNETONKA, Minn. – A Minnesota man spent 24 consecutive hours fishing off a dock at Maynard’s on Lake Minnetonka, and in that time he was able to net over 2,000 fish and set a new world record.

Jeff Kolodzinski completed the marathon fishing event as part of Fishing for Life, a non-profit organization that exposes kids to the outdoors and creates a sense of community through fishing.

The new record is now 2,649 fish caught in a 24-hour period.

The previous record was set last year at the same spot.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

reefs build fish habitat, coastal economy

Near shore artificial reefs build fish habitat, coastal economy

Friday, 29 July 2011 14:24 TPWD
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Please_wait_while_image_loads_then_follow_the_instructions_to_download_the_imageCulverts head out to be dumped in the ocean near Port Mansfield last week. Photo by TPWD.

Reefing operations began in Port Mansfield last week in a joint project between the Coastal Conservation Association, Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Over 4,000 concrete culverts will be deployed about seven nautical miles offshore from Port Mansfield. These artificial forms will join 800 other Continue reading “reefs build fish habitat, coastal economy”

Destroyer will be sunk to create artificial reef off IR Inlet

The USS Radford’s final journey

Destroyer will be sunk to create artificial reef off IR Inlet

11:51 PM, Jul. 29, 2011  |
A diver re-emerges from underneath the USS Arthur W. Radford in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Friday afternoon. Workers are making last-minute preparations before the ship is sunk. Gov. Jack Markell said the Navy destroyer-turned-artificial-reef will provide a big boost to tourism -- both for anglers and divers.See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

A diver re-emerges from underneath the USS Arthur W. Radford in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Friday afternoon. Workers are making last-minute preparations before the ship is sunk. Gov. Jack Markell said the Navy destroyer-turned-artificial-reef will provide a big boost to tourism — both for anglers and divers. / THE NEWS JOURNAL/JENNIFER CORBETT
MOLLY MURRAY
The News Journal
Workers finish dismantling the USS Arthur W. Radford in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Friday. The cost of preparing and sinking the ship has been estimated at $795,000.

Workers finish dismantling the USS Arthur W. Radford in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Friday. The cost of preparing and sinking the ship has been estimated at $795,000. / THE NEWS JOURNAL/JENNIFER CORBETT

In the thick of the Cold War, the USS Arthur W. Radford was a floating surveillance tool, complete with a network of antennas, helicopter ports and landing platforms.

But sometime next week, if all goes well, the Radford will be towed to a spot off the Indian River Inlet — holes cut at its waterline, the seacocks opened — and it will sink to the bottom with a new mission, as an artificial reef.

On Friday, Gov. Jack Markell said the Navy destroyer turned artificial reef will provide a big boost to tourism — both for anglers and divers.

And it will turn a sand-covered section of the ocean floor into a rich, new habitat for sea life from the bottom of the food chain to the top.

He estimated that the reef site will be 400 times richer in marine diversity than the natural bottom and that changes in the species diversity should take place there within days of the sinking.

The project is a joint effort between officials in Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey and has been several years in the making.

Officials from the three states gathered at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard — where the Radford was berthed, to give the vessel a final sendoff Friday. The Radford is the first multistate reefing project in the country.

The ship, declared a candidate for reefing by the Navy in 2006, was deeded to Delaware.

It is the most ambitious reef project Delaware officials have undertaken. There are already 14 artificial reef sites in Delaware Bay and just offshore in the Atlantic Ocean — some created from ballasted tires, others from concrete culverts and still others from surplus vessels.

Charter boat Capt. Joe Noble, who fishes out of Indian River Inlet and is fond of the new reefs, said it usually takes six months or so for an artificial reef to begin attracting fish.

“A lot depends on the water temperature,” he said.

For the Radford, a 563-foot-long Spruance-class destroyer, the reef site is 26 miles off the inlet and in about 130 feet of water. It is nearly equal distance from Ocean City, Md., Cape May, N.J., and Indian River Inlet.

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Ravine study sees healthier fish habitat

BY CHARLES BERMAN cberman@pioneerlocal.com July 25, 2011 8:26PM

Story ImageShawna Herleth-King, of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), inspects Rainbow Trout that were netted July 14 at the mouth of the Rosewood Beach ravine. Five fish species, including two listed by the state as “species in greatest need of conservation” were found in the Highland Park ravine system. | Photos courtesy of the Park District of Highland Park
ARTICLE EXTRAS

Updated: July 28, 2011 3:17AM

The Park District of Highland Park’s ravine restoration program continues to show signs of healthier local fish habitat as two endangered species were recently found to be hatching eggs in the city’s stream system.See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Longnose Dace and Lake Chub baby fish — both included in the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan — were noted in the latest ravine study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers near Rosewood, Mallard and Moraine parks.

Baby White Suckers also were found this month, officials reported, and were likely hatched in the ravine streams as a result of spring migration by the adult fish.

Scientists made the series of discoveries July 14, while continuing its larger analysis of Highland Park’s lakefront parks and preserves.

Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, local improvements have included the installation of natural cobbles to create pool and riffle habitat; steel groynes at the outlet to the lake were cut lower to allow easier fish access; and sheltering overhangs were built using large stones. Native trees and plants now provide additional shaded areas while also providing soil stabilization along the stream banks.

Rebecca Grill, the Park District’s natural areas manager, explained that rising water temperatures over the years has worked to suppress fish vitality.

“The only way we could really change anything about water temperature is to provide shade to make the water cooler, or make it deeper,” she said. “We knew Rainbow Trout were hiding (in our streams), but we were really excited because they found those other species, too.”

The district’s long-range goal is to ensure Highland Park’s streams remain safe havens for fish to find shelter from the lake to hatch eggs.

“To know they can be successful here is really exciting,” Grill said. “We are hoping it also helps people understand our connection to Lake Michigan. The lake is a huge resource for northern Illinois and the nation. It’s our source of drinking water, and we should care about its health for our own health.

“And to think we can support these fish species, these living creatures at the base of our ecosystem, that’s miraculous considering how urbanized we are.”

The fish-friendly habitat restoration project also brought in volunteers from the Gary Borger Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization, and was designed by Northfield-based Shabica and Associates, and constructed by V3 Companies of Woodridge.

“Nobody on the federal level suspected that fish could be in these streams and have reproductive success,” Grill concluded. “We’re going to show that with a little bit of work, they can. It’s been very rewarding.”

Lake Havasu one of the best fishing lakes in Arizona.

Fish habitat improvement

In 1992, the Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program began construction and placement of fish habitat structures in 42 coves throughout the lake, with the objective of enhancing and sustaining the game fish population. Since completion in 2002, the program has continued to maintain these structures. Residents feel strongly about protecting fishing on the lake for generations to come. Countless volunteers have contributed more than 210,000 hours to the program thus far.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

The Bureau of Land Management leads a seven-member partnership for the program that includes the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Bureau of Reclamation, California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Anglers United, a private nonprofit group.

As one of the largest and most successful fish habitat improvement projects ever undertaken in the U.S., it stands as a shining example of what can be accomplished when government natural resource agencies, anglers and interested members of the public and private sector companies work together on behalf of the future of fishing. (For more information, contact Kirk Koch, BLM, at 928-505-1237.)

The combination of natural resources and careful management make Lake Havasu one of the best fishing lakes in Arizona.

DNR meeting to discuss status of Fish Lake reservoir

(Released July 29, 2011)

 A public information meeting on the status of Fish Lake Reservoir north of Duluth will take place Aug. 15 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  The meeting will be at the Environmental Protection Agency office, 6201 Congdon Blvd., one block past the Lester River on Highway 61.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

The 2010 fish population assessment will be presented along with information regarding other potential factors that might impact fish populations, including historical water levels, nutrient loading, aquatic vegetation and growing season conditions.

Over the past 10-20 years, changes appear to be taking place in fish populations in the Fish Lake Reservoir. The DNR will present several ideas on the relationship between fish populations and habitat quality in the Fish Lake Reservoir, including plans over the next 18 months to better understand these relationships and potential future management actions.

The DNR is committed to looking comprehensively at trends impacting fish habitat and fish populations for northeastern lakes, including the Fish Lake Reservoir. Understanding these trends and identifying stakeholder goals and objectives for lakes are both necessary for choosing realistic and feasible management options, according to the DNR.

The DNR is also looking for volunteers to serve on a committee that will meet several times over the next 15 months to provide input on future goals and objectives for fish populations in the Fish Lake Reservoir. People interested in serving on the committee, but who are unable to attend the meeting, should contact Deserae Hendrickson, Duluth area fisheries, 218-525-0853, ext. 201.

WESTERN NATIVE TROUT INITIATIVE ANNOUNCES SMALL PROJECT FUNDING RECIPIENTS

7/29/2011

Small Grant Recipients

The Western Native Trout Initiative, a venture of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and a National Fish Habitat Partnership, is pleased to announce the recipients of the first round of the new “Small Project Funding Program.”

The purpose of this program is to provide a source of funding to organizations desiring to become involved in the conservation – protection, restoration or enhancement – of western native trout at the local level. The small project funding program specifically supports collaborative approaches and partnerships involved in local efforts or community-based programs that provide for habitat, educational, or public recreational angling programs that contribute to the Initiative’s efforts to conserve western native trout.

WNTI received 14 applications for small projects in 2011, and the WNTI Steering Committee determined the funded projects at their recent summer meeting. The following projects were funded:

1.   Rattlesnake Creek Community Stewardship Program: $1485

2.   “Every Cutthroat Counts” Upper Teton River Signage: $775

3.   Chicago Creek WCT Re-introduction Project: $3000

4.   Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers Outreach Project: $2,000

5.   Apache Trout in the Classroom Project: $3000

6.   “Surviving Climate Change” RGCT Watershed Assessment: $3000

7.   McDonald Creek Water Quality Protection (partially funded): $1740

The WNTI is seeking additional funding for projects in future years. The current round of projects was funded by a $15,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

WNTI National Fish Habitat Action Plan 2012 Request for Proposals

Each year, the Western Native Trout Initiative posts a project proposal request on its web page that is sent to cooperators across the West.

National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) proposals are added to the FWS’s Fisheries Operation Needs System (FONS) list, and then each FWS Regional office in the WNTI geographic area works with the states to determine the top 10 projects for their Region. These lists are completed by the end of November each year. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

In December, the WNTI Steering Committee reviews the “top 10” lists and determines which projects will be prioritized for a NFHAP funding allocation for fish habitat conservation. Due to budget negotiations in the U.S. Congress, the amount of funding available to Fish Habitat Partnerships in 2012 is unknown. However, the WNTI is requesting project proposals be submitted as usual for 2012 funding.

Note: The deadline for WNTI NFHAP 2012 project proposals is September 15, 2012.  For details, please visit the WNTI website (www.westernnativetrout.org) and download the WNTI 2012 Project Request form.

The Mission of the Western Native Trout Initiative is to serve as a key catalyst for the implementation of conservation or management actions, through partnerships and cooperative efforts, which result in improved western native trout status, improved aquatic habitats, and improved recreational opportunities for native trout anglers. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.westernnativetrout.org.

Will Dam Removal in the West Restore Salmon?

AvatarPosted by SuzieDowning 2 days ago ()
CategoryScience | TagsNational Geographic

(NewDesignWorld Press Center) – A controversial plan to remove four dams from the Klamath River to save endangered salmon could make its way to Congress in the coming weeks.

Capitol Hill lawmakers will consider taking down California’s Iron Gate, Copco 2, Copco 1, and John C. Boyle dams at a cost of about $1 billion, half of that potentially funded with federal tax dollars.

The removal plan has the backing of several Native American tribes on the Klamath who rely on the river for salmon fishing, as well as farmers who depend on its water for irrigation. The plan also has the support of PacifiCorp, Warren Buffett’s power company, which owns the dams.

Buffett’s company could benefit from dam removal because it might cost more to install the required modifications for fish passage if the dams remain. But if dams come down, salmon would be the biggest winners.

(Read the 2008 National Geographic magazine article on the Klamath River.)

Salmon runs have dwindled in the past century—from millions of fish to less than 100,000 in most years—primarily because of the dams, according to nonprofit environmental groups such as American Rivers and native tribes that depend on the fish. Those same groups say hits to water quality such as farm runoff are also to blame.

Mike Belchik is a fisheries biologist for the Yurok Tribe in California. The tribe maintains that it has relied on the fish since “time immemorial,” Belchick says, adding that archaeologists say humans have lived and fished in the area for at least 9,000 years. He says taking out the dams would allow the fish to return to their historic and more productive cold-water mountain streams, which are currently blocked by the dams, and help resolve disruptions to the main stem Klamath where they’re just barely hanging on today.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

No Silver Bullet

But a recent scientific review of the dam-removal plan warned that if dam removal went forward, it would not be a silver bullet.

The independent report, commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, reported that dam removal could help boost Chinook salmon population if other factors, such as water quality and warming due to climate change are in kept in check.

Belchik and the other proponents agree.

Dam removal, even with its uncertainty, would open the door for a salmon rebound, he says—and help assure their long-term survival.

“That water’s going to be stable even in the face of climate change. We need to get these dams down and get these fish to these cold water springs,” he says. “That’s their future.”

Crash in the Klamath

The Klamath River originates in eastern Oregon and empties into the Pacific in northern California. Its diverse course—beginning with huge snow-fed springs and flowing over high desert on its way to the sea—supported thriving migratory salmon populations for thousands of years. In turn it also supported people who depended on the fish including the Yurok, Karuk, Klamath, and Hoopa Valley Indian tribes and, more recently, non-tribal fishermen.

Just before the start of the 20th century, farmers moved into the basin. Some dams—including two on the upper Klamath that aren’t planned for removal—were put in for irrigation.

The other four Klamath dams—the ones on the chopping block—are used solely for hydropower. Previous estimates have suggested the dams together produce the energy equivalent of 360 tons of coal, or enough to power about 70,000 homes.

As the Klamath was developed, its salmon runs dwindled. Spring-run Chinook salmon have gone extinct near the dams, and species such as the Coho are so imperiled they can’t be fished.

Now, subsistence and commercial fishers alike are relying on just the fall-run Chinook. Once teeming with a million adult salmon, that run now sees fewer than 100,000 fish. Federal agencies are working on an economic analysis of the fishery, but it is not ready yet.

Still, when the Yurok and Karuk tribes first asked more than a decade ago for the removal of the dams, “We got laughed at,” Belchik said.

But that was before 2001, when irrigation was shut down for the salmon’s benefit, hitting some Klamath farmers’ bottom lines. The next year, the government erred in the other direction—giving farmers too much water at the expense of the fish—resulting in a devastating fish kill.

“Those disasters got the farmers and us talking,” Belchik said.

Greg Addington, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association, which unifies the river’s farmers, said most of his members believe there should be more dams, not fewer. But, as part of the dam-removal plan that the association now supports, irrigators will be guaranteed a reliable amount of water from year to year out of the Klamath. It’s less than what they’d like, but it will allow them to stay in business, Addington said.

(Read Addington’s account from the field in “After Decades of Conflict, Adversaries Join Forces to Save the Klamath River—and Themselves.”)

Ambitious Plan

Last year, 28 stakeholders, including the famers, the tribes and PacifiCorp, signed the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. It spells out a laundry list of preliminary requirements that must be completed—studies, interagency agreements, and approvals all the way up to Congress and the Interior secretary—leading to removal of the dams by 2020. The recently completed scientific review was one of the requirements.

The public utility commissions in both Oregon and California have signed off on the agreement, and Congress is the next stop.

The forthcoming legislation won’t request any congressional funds for the actual removal of the dams. The various interest groups have pledged the necessary $450 million for that. But Congress would be required to approve up to $500 million more over the next decade for companion projects necessary to restore fish habitat, such as replanting along the sides of streams, restoring water quality, and working with farmers and ranchers on water conservation.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, who chairs the House Water and Power Subcommittee, would be a pivotal figure in any congressional negotiations.

“The attempt to destroy four perfectly good hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River at a cost of more than a half-billion dollars and at a time of severe electricity shortages is insane,” he wrote in an email, adding that the proposal would also shut down the state-owned Iron Gate Fish Hatchery, which has started its own salmon recovery efforts.

Should the agreement make it through Congress, the next step is for the Interior secretary to sign off by next March.

(See dam, irrigation, and water infrastructure photos.)

A Precedent

Klamath dam-removal advocates could get a boost from two dam-removal efforts in Washington State that are slated to start this fall. American Rivers is celebrating the pending removal of the Elwah River’s 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam, as well as the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, a tributary of the Columbia River.

“When the dams were built 100 years ago, they served a useful purpose,” Amy Kober, an American Rivers spokesperson, wrote in an email. “Today, we value our imperiled salmon runs and free-flowing rivers, and all the recreation, spiritual, and economic benefits they provide.”
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Wisconsin, Michigan and New York to benefit from restoration of aquatic species habitat in Great Lakes basin


7/28/2011Contact:
Mark Brouder, 715-682-6185 x. 11, Mark_Brouder@fws.gov
Ashley Spratt, 612-713-5314, Ashley_Spratt @fws.gov

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Midwest Region, in partnership with the Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership (GLBFHP), announced today that approximately $500,000 of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will support on-the-ground fish habitat restoration in the Great Lakes region.

The funding is provided for priority projects identified by members of the Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership, which was established under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP)—a national investment strategy to maximize the impact of fish habitat conservation dollars. At least 70 percent of the funding provided will go toward on-the-ground fish habitat protection and restoration projects across the Great Lakes basin. A portion of this funding is set aside for Service field stations that work directly with partners to provide technical assistance with project implementation and grant administration.

“Fish habitat partnerships like GLBFHP identify key watersheds and tributaries in the Great Lakes region that need restoration efforts to improve habitat for aquatic species,” said Tom Melius, Regional Director of the Service’s Midwest Region. “The projects in Michigan, Wisconsin and New York will not only contribute to balanced ecosystems, but also will improve the economic opportunities provided by the sport fishing community.”

Projects to receive funding in 2011 include:

* The Conservation Resource Alliance in Michigan was granted $160,000 for the Boardman River Dam Removal Project: Phase 1- Brown Bridge Dam. The Conservation Resource Alliance and its partners will utilize these and other funds to improve 160 miles of river habitat by removing Brown Bridge Dam. In addition to removing the dam, in-stream habitat and 253 acres of wetland habitat will be restored.

* The Bad River Natural Resources Department in Wisconsin was granted $55,115 for the Graveyard Creek Habitat Restoration project. The Bad River Natural Resources Department will improve cold water habitat for resident and coaster brook trout by removing beaver dams that trap sediment and hinder upstream movement, install large woody debris and install spawning gravel substrate. These efforts will provide additional high quality, cold water habitat for resident brook trout.

* The National Wild Turkey Federation in New York was granted $135,420 for the Seneca and Cayuga Watersheds Stream Corridor Restoration project. The National Wild Turkey Federation and its partners will use these and other funds to improve approximately three miles of in-stream habitat, 48 acres of riparian corridor, and up to five cattle ponds to improve the water quality of five tributary streams on private and federal lands that drain into Seneca and Cayuga Lakes in Seneca and Schuyler Counties of New York. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Funding for these projects was provided by the President’s 2011 Budget which provided $300 million for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency –led, interagency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. For more information on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service activities related specifically to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, please visit http://www.fws.gov/GLRI.

The Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GLBFHP/) is a recognized partnership of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP). Under the plan, federal, state and privately-raised funds are the foundation for building regional partnerships that address the Nation’s biggest fish habitat issues. This comprehensive effort will treat the causes of fish habitat decline, not just the symptoms. For more information about the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, its partnerships and programs please visit: http://www.fishhabitat.org

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.

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