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Author: david

Eat more fish to clean your lake?

Posted on by david

A few weeks ago, my wife Renee’ and I took a trip to Shepherd Montana, headquarters of  Floating Island International Inc. We had been invited to stay on the ranch and to see for ourselves how Bruce Kania and his wife Anne, are growing huge fish fast with a woven matrix of inert substrates called BioHaven, or Floating Treatment Wetlands. I had been in contact with Bruce for some time, learning about how excessive nutrients brought in from runoff can be turned into fresh, tasty fish. Not only do the Kania’s grow fish, but frogs, minnows, pheasant, deer and all species of waterfowl prosper in their efforts. Even Yellowstone cutthroat trout flourish in this superior environment, along with crappie and perch and various minnows.

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

The setting was breathtaking, Mule deer and whitetail browsing on the thousands of perennial plants Bruce has planted for their benefit and soil stability. Over time these plants die off and return each spring, contributing to the rich organic soils being built up. Sprawling channels and wetlands run throughout the property, slowly beginning to filter and absorb the high levels of nutrients. When the water enters the property, it is dark and cloudy like chocolate.

Ducks of all varieties, geese, snipe, vulture, pheasant and more, have taken up residency in this oasis of prime habitat, with no intention of ever leaving. With Bruce being a veteran trapper, predators are being kept in check, protecting the desired species. With the Yellowstone River along one property line, this place is an outdoorsman’s paradise.

Stewardship of our natural resources is the core of the work being undertaken at Shepherd Ranch. We were there to catch and eat a bunch of these fish, helping them ultimately remove the phosphorus and nitrogen that causes excessive weed growth and poor water quality. Bruce and I dreamed big about someday soon, this concept of abundant, mass fish harvest to clean our Nation’s waters and beyond.

The data shows that over 50% of our Nation’s waterways are considered eutrophic and in trouble, meaning highly excessive weed growth and nutrient concentrations. Dark, stained and sometimes smelly water are all results of an unbalanced system. More information about our Nation’s waters are available on the National Fish Habitat Action Plan website, a wealth of details everyone is affected by.

When we began producing artificial fish habitat products made from reclaimed PVC siding called Fishiding, the ability to grow algae immediately on the inert surface area, appealed to the fisherman. Like myself, the average fisherman understands that habitat with good algae growth seems to hold more fish. It wasn’t until reading more and talking to Bruce that I began to understand the big picture of why this holds true.

These nutrients stick to surfaces underwater and create the beginning of the food chain called periphyton. Many forms of this wonderful natural, filter and food factory are present. Algae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, zoo plankton and other invertebrates, function as a community highly efficient in capturing and processing nutrients. When I say processing, this means turning it into food of the highest quality found on earth. The more fish graze on it, it grows faster, decreasing bio mass and the fish grow at alarming rates, making the water clearer.

Numerous types of periphtyon are present, some require light to thrive and some do best in the dark. The more surface area available, the more periphyton can grow and work its magic. Pretend the floating island is a supermarket, the more shelves available the more food can be stocked for consumption. Small fish and fry eat this “super food” until about age one, when they begin to forage on larger minnows and bugs. Periphyton is the “mother’s milk” needed to start life full of nourishment.

This process has been perfected in second and third world countries. We are lacking in knowledge here in the states, but it’s improving with over 4400 of these floating treatment wetlands installed here and worldwide.

Think about all the ponds and lakes in your area. Golfcoarse ponds, retention ponds, private and public, there are many. Some are clear and deep with a balanced mesotrophic or oligotrophic eco system. The other 50% eutrophic waters, could be teaming with fish and every citizen is asked to help keep them clean…..by catching as many fish as you can eat, and removing them! The fish also reproduce faster than normal, so there is no worry of running out. Fish Fry Lake is living, thriving proof of this for all to see. Renee’ and I caught over 500 fish in less than eight hours of fishing. If your hook was in the water, it was being attacked by one or more gorgeous perch or crappie. From 6-8” one year olds, to 12-14” plus jumbos! Remember, this is in Montana not Lake Michigan, the only other place I have ever seen perch of this size. Perch and Crappie were abundant to say the least, with a perch containing about one percent live weight of phosphorus. The name “Fish Fry Lake” more than lives up to its name. Remember, this works with no chemicals, win,win,win…….

This natural cause and effect has other uses too. Bioswales also made by FII,  are used in ditches and swales to slow down erosion as water runs through it, similar to adding hay bales in a ditch after new construction. The difference in using the inert matrix, patented by FII, is that as the bioswales slow down the water, the periphyton forms and begins to consume the over abundant nutrients, cleaning the water as it passes through slowly. Unlike the hay bales, the matrix never breaks down, which would add to the nutrient load in the waterway. Same with weeds, as they decompose, they remove oxygen from the water and add fertile organic matter that acts like fertilizer. Inert substrates like the matrix material used in the Floating islands, never breakdown and keep working year round to feed the fish and clean the water.

One of the optimal ways that FTWs can transition nutrients from water to beneficial use is to grow bacterial biofilm rather than floating algae.  Bacterial biofilms grow faster than algae when their limiting parameters are satisfied, and when they have adequate circulation and surface area for growth.  With appropriate stewardship, they also are an improved primary food source for fish (Azim 2005).

Circulation increases bacterial efficiency by bringing nutrients such as dissolved oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus to the biofilm.

A single 1000-square-foot BioHaven Floating Island can provide over 18 acres of strategic “concentrated wetland effect” surface area.

As demonstrated in field-scale case studies, waterways containing FTWs remove contaminants (pollutants) such as ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Biochemical/Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD/COD) and total suspended solids (TSS).  These studies have included municipal wastewater, storm water, lakes and agricultural runoff.  FTWs have demonstrated the ability to simultaneously remove all of these contaminants, due to their complex biofilms containing both aerobic and anoxic bacteria.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels are higher when inert substrate are used rather than organic substrates like wood, due to oxygen consumption during organic carbon uptake by biofilms.  Inert substrates like BioHaven polymer matrix, can provide a more precise ability to initiate movement of a waterway’s nutrient load up the food chain. Periphyton moves nutrients up the food chain better than does synthetic fish food.

The bottom line is this. To ultimately remove these unwanted nutrients, fish have to be harvested. Not all lakes have these issues, but in Eutrophic lakes, the fish contain these nutrients and have to be caught and eaten to keep up with the periphyton growth. A perch for example, contains about 1% live weight of phosphorus. By removing enough fish to equal one pound of this chemical which is safe for humans and needed for strong bones, about 700 pounds of aquatic vegetation never gets a chance to grow. No chemicals or weed harvesting just fishing and keeping them for the table. Would you be willing to help clean your neighborhood pond by catching and eating some fresh fish? It’s a reality and is being performed at an alarming rate at Fish Fry Lake. We flew home with only one checked bag, 50 pounds of fresh fillets.

Clean water  entering the Yellowstone River and ultimately the Mississippi, Stewardship is the lesson to be learned.

Fishing Out Phosphorus

Posted on by david
Floating treatment wetlands turn phosphorus into harvestable fish
Andrea Fox, WEF Highlights Water Environment Federation
Researchers at Floating Island International (FII) in Shepherd, Mont., an agricultural region, are fishing nonpoint source nutrients out of 2.6-ha (6.5-ac) Fish Fry Lake. Bruce Kania, FII project development director, uses rod and reel to maintain floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) in the lake. Fishing is all part of the job; experienced anglers can catch one fish every 2 minutes at Fish Fry, he said.
Fish Fry Lake Rendering SmallThe man-made floating islands transfer excess phosphorus from host water to periphyton, which is a colony composed of algae, bacteria, microbes, and organic matter. This colony serves as a food source for certain types of fish.In 2011, Fish Fry Lake removed 1.1 kg/ha (1 lb/ac) of phosphorus at a cost of $282/kg ($128/lb) and produced 112 kg/ha (100 lb/ac) of harvestable fish, Kania said. The lake’s clarity, measured by Secchi disk, improved to 5.8 m (19 ft) from an initial condition of 0.4 m (1.2 ft) with ongoing removal of suspended solids, according to FII. As of May, data indicate nutrient removal and catch rates are on their way to doubling in 2012, Kania said.
This floating treatment wetland (FTW) on Fish Fry Lake in Shepherd, Mont., features a wood structure for recreation a metal structure to house the island’s aerators. Photo courtesy of Floating Island International Inc. (Shepherd). Click for larger image.
FTWs offer effective, cost-efficient additional treatment to increase nutrient removal. Application is universal — they are operating in various climates. FII has 4400 FTWs installed in such places as New Zealand, where water quality managers grow eels to restock other waterways, and in Singapore, Indonesia, and across the United States, including Alaska. The islands hold fast, surviving typhoons, tornados, and active icy waters, Kania said.Data show that FTWs have vast potential to address water quality and promote aquaculture. “We’re trying to answer the question, ‘Can we engender a viable fishery … to ultimately improve water quality?’” Kania said.

Mimicking Nature
Fish Fry Lake has 530 m2(5700 ft2) of FTWs modeled after natural floating wetlands composed of peat and plants. Natural islands — such as an 82-year-old, 12-ha (30-ac) island in Chippewa Floage in northern Wisconsin — remove nutrients from water. Because Fish Fry Lake has several arms to it, there are two aerated floating islands and three small air diffusers (each 140 L/min [5 ft3/min]), which FII runs to increase the pond’s dissolved-oxygen (DO) levels to more than 6.5 mg/L and to stabilize temperatures below 24ºC (76ºF).		Fish Fry Lake 1b SmallFish Fry Lake 1a Small
Fish Fry Lake 1c Small Final
FTWs in Singapore help increase nutrient removal in waterways. Photos courtesy of Floating Island International. Click for larger images.
According to FII research, FTWs remove 93% of total suspended solids, 88% of phosphorus, 71% of total nitrogen, 88% of total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand, 90% of copper, 95% of lead, and 36% of zinc. The data indicate that FTWs exceed removal rates of most comparable best management practices, such as retention ponds, wetland basins, media filters, and other manufactured devices.FTWs reduce algae, engender fish by growing periphyton and other biofilms, improve pond aesthetics, cool water, provide shade, and grow plants. FTWs can be used for effluent polishing, stormwater management applications, and lake restoration, Kania said.
Fish Fry Lake 3 Assembly SmallFish Fry Lake 3b modules SmallFTWs can help a community facing increased effluent standards. “FTWs can be installed into existing [wastewater] lagoons to improve the contaminant removal rates, thereby resulting in cleaner effluent,” said Frank Stewart of Stewart Engineering (Bozeman, Mont.), who is an engineering design consultant for FII. “In most cases, installing FTWs into existing lagoons is cheaper than building new lagoons, especially if land costs are considered,” he said.
Fish Fry Lake 3c Small
FTW modules are being assembled in Alaska. Photos courtesy of Floating Island International. Click for larger images.
FTWs also could reduce peak discharges for occasional out-of-compliance wastewater dischargers, as well as decrease the volume of nutrients generated by livestock lagoons, Stewart added.Half the Cost
While the systems do not work well in urban areas because of site restrictions, cities can get credit for contaminants removed from smaller upstream communities. “The cleanup effect for the river is the same, but the removal is much cheaper,” Stewart said.

According to Mark Reinsel of Apex Engineering (Missoula, Mont.), who establishes testing protocols and analyzes FII water data, FTWs cost less than 50% of traditional treatment, including alum. Floating islands cost between $269 and $484 per m2 ($25 and $45 per ft2), depending on whether aeration is incorporated. Plants, which increase longevity and stability, increase costs.

Growing Fish
FII has been using a recycled, nonwoven polymer matrix since 2006. The material also is used in other FTW models, such as freshwater coral, elevated bioswales, and docks. “It’s the best material we have for growing biofilm in the real world,” Stewart said.

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

Biofilm and periphyton love dirty water — the more of it in contact with the matrix, “the faster the biofilms remove contaminants,” Stewart said.

Adding aeration increases DO concentrations due to mixing, lowers overall water temperatures, and hastens periphyton growth, researchers explained. With increased sunlight and circulation, FTWs increase in size and density. As periphyton takes in phosphorus and transfers it to the fish that feed on it, DO levels rise and turbidity decreases. Sunlight reaches into lower levels of the water column, enhancing diatom?based periphyton growth. As FTWs grow, they become more diversified and stable, enabling them to remove more phosphorus and generate larger fish populations.

One aerated 230-m2 (2500-ft2) model in Fish Fry Lake circulates up to 2 m3 (72 ft3) of air per minute and 40 m3 (10,400 gal) of direct flow with a 2.25-kW (3-hp) motor. FTWs with aeration destratify the 8.5-m-deep (28-ft-deep) lake and homogenize temperatures when needed, Kania said.


Efficiency and Design Life
According to Reinsel, FTWs “are more effective than treatment methods that are relying on settling.”Reinsel measures effectiveness in pounds of phosphorus per year per cubic foot of FTW. Rain gardens and stormwater retention basins are 20% to 30% effective, while the floating islands are 60% to 70% effective, he said.

Data on design life are sparse — FII’s oldest floating island is 8 years old. After 20 to 30 years, an FTW may have to be harvested.

The Art of FTW Maintenance
FII harvests 12 to 18 kg (26 to 40 lb) of perch each week for consumption. “The perch fish fry is alive and well,” said Kania. “Our challenge on Fish Fry Lake is harvesting fish fast enough,” he added.

Fish Fry Lake 2 small
Fish Fry Lake has northern yellow perch, black crappie, and Yellowstone cutthroat trout. FTWs also can support tilapia, catfish, carp, freshwater shrimp, and minnow species. Photo courtesy of Floating Island Interantioanl. Click for larger image.
Other than all that fishing and frying, Stewart said FTWs are easy to manage.“Relative to eutrophied waters, catch-and-harvest needs to be the new mantra,” Kania said.
— Andrea Fox, WEF Highlights

Pro’s opinion after one year…Artificial fish habitat rocks!

Posted on by david

See what professional fishing guide, photographer and accomplished writer Brad Wiegmann, has to say about fishiding habitat products.

Adding Artificial PVC Fish Attractors with Fishiding

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

PVC fish habitat excels in giving fish what they require-Underwater pictures update

Posted on by david
fishiding after four weeks

This next group of amazing shots by Engbretson Underwater Photgraphy, show biofilm and algae growth explode after less than four weeks. Fishiding Reclaimed Artificial Fish  Habitat products made from reclaimed pvc vinyl siding, act as an ideal inert substrate to grow biofilm which in turn feeds and grows fish at a far above normal or average rates. This process called biomimicry, has been perfected and installed with overwhelming success by a company called Floating Island International, which utilizes recycled plastic matrix to create massive amounts of surface area.

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

Biorock giving new life to coral reefs

Posted on by david

Johnny Langenheim explains how an innovative method is sustaining corals and why on World Oceans Day we need to pledge for more such projects

Coral reef restoration Biorock project at Ibu Karang, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia

Biorock project at Ibu Karang, Pemuteran, Bali, Indonesia. Photograph: T.Goreau/Biorock

Coral reefs are the rainforests of the world’s oceans. Like their terrestrial counterparts, they occur in tropical and sub tropical environments, support a bewildering variety of species and are diminishing at an alarming rate. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

Marine biologists across the world are desperately trying to protect our remaining reefs from the impacts of global warming and destructive fishing. Others are building repositories of the known coral species – so that our grandchildren at least get to see them in aquariums or laboratories – and still others are constructing artificial reefs in areas of significant damage.

Humans have been creating reefs for thousands of years to improve their fisheries – you can pretty much sink anything solid in the right marine environment and calcium carbonate, the key ingredient in coral, will accrete to it. It’s a hit and miss affair, though, often bringing just a fraction of the biodiversity seen in a natural reef. But in the 1970s, some simple science created dramatic changes.

The biorock method was developed by architect and marine scientist Wolf Hilbertz and marine biologist Tom Goreau. They found that by running a small electrical current through seawater, a hard shell of calcium carbonate would form on the cathode. You could then attach small pieces of natural coral to the structure. The corals seemed to love these substrates, achieving growth rates often five times faster than normal. Today there are more than 20 Biorock projects around the globe, but by far the biggest – and arguably the most innovative – are in Indonesia.

“Right now we have 62 biorock structures around this island,” says Delphine Robbe, as she pulls on a wetsuit. “By 2012 we should have one hundred.”. Since coming to Gili Trawangan in 2005 with a vague plan to get her dive master certification, the Frenchwoman has become the driving force behind the island’s many eco programmes.

Trawangan is one of three tiny coral atolls off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia and increasingly a compulsory side trip to any Bali holiday, thanks to its bone white beaches, diving and snorkelling sites and absence of both dogs and motor vehicles. Pristine reef, however, is harder to find. “Probably 70 to 80% of our shallow reefs were destroyed by dynamite fishing,” Robbe tells me. “It was actually the local fishermen who kick started the eco movement here, when they set up patrols to try and stop the bombing.”

Goreau’s attention is on the Gili cluster, which has impressed him with its biodiversity and water quality. He and Hilbertz had chosen the tiny village of Pemuteran in north Bali as the site of what is today the largest biorock project in the world and are now looking for new areas to colonise with their artificial reef structures. Robbe met Goreau at the first Biorock conference and workshop in Trawangan in November 2005 and by the end of it, she’d been enlisted. “The next year, I led the workshop and brought in the major dive operators as sponsors,” she explains. “In return, they got their very own biorock installations in front of their dive shops.”

Besides stimulating biodiversity, the biorock structures also combat beach erosion, which became a serious problem with the destruction of the natural reefs. Increasingly, they are an attraction for tourists too – especially since English artist and environmentalist Celia Gregory joined the project.

Gregory, who besides being a mosaic artist and sculptor is also a dive master, contacted Tom Goreau after seeing the biorock project in Pemuteran. “I was really inspired by what they’d done and it gave me this idea of merging art with coral conservation,” she explains. “Plus I’d experienced dynamite fishing first hand when a device went off during a dive. We saw the shattered coral and the dead fish.”

Divers and snorkellers can now see underwater scultpures of a manta ray, dolphin, turtle, octopus, snake, moon, miniature phinisi schooner and even a komodo dragon. Gregory is now working with award winning industrial designer Tom Dixon who wants to create an underwater three-piece suite, while Bali based US photographer and vintage motorbike enthusiast Dustin Humphrey is thinking of sinking some old bikes and doing an underwater shoot complete with models.

Meanwhile, Robbe is building on the eco credentials of the project by exploring alternative sources of energy with which to power the biorock installations. “Running cable out to see and powering it with diesel generators is not exactly sustainable,” she says. “So we’re planning to build our first tidal energy turbines this year and then unroll much bigger ones by November 2012, the date of our next workshop.” She’s also landed some major commercial sponsors – oil company Total is looking to help fund the turbines, while Malaysian Airlines wants to put in an airplane sculpture.

But all of this comes with a caveat. The increasing popularity of the Gilis has prompted an unprecedented surge in development that threatens to scupper conservation efforts in the long term. Rising population and a rash of new construction is putting pressure on an island whose circumference is just 12km and which imports nearly everything, including fresh water.

Behind the quaint beach facing facades of the hotels, lies an open dump where most of the island’s rubbish goes, though Robbe recently set up a recycling system with the help of a Bali based company. The hotels often have rudimentary wastewater treatment systems, so biological waste goes straight into the sea, where it may create algae blooms that are toxic to coral.

There are a few exceptions. I stayed at the largely wind- and solar-powered Gili Eco Villas on the quiet north side of the island. They even have their own biorock sculpture of a whale.

“I have this vision of Gili Trawangan being a model of sustainability – it’s like a microcosm of the rest of the world, experiencing both threats and opportunities” Gregory says. “It has these amazing currents, endless sunlight and it’s small and contained enough to manage – if we were just smart about it.”

Boy Scouts Add West Point Fish Attractors

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This Boy Scout project will benefit fishermen.
By Brad Gill
Ray Roesel with the West Point Lake Coalition offered their assistance and boat to drop the fish attractors in Wehadkee Creek.
    View All Images (4)

West Point Lake anglers will benefit from the efforts of Boy Scout Jacob Buchanan. The 15-year-old, of Sharpsburg, spent Saturday, May 12 with six other Boy Scouts from Troop 897, out of Newnan, and sank PVC-style fish attractors in Wehadkee Creek on West Point Lake. Jacob had to plan, organize and carry out the project in order for him to advance to Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts.

“We dropped a total of 64 fish attractors that were dropped in ‘pods’ of three at 20 various places picked out by myself,” said Jacob.

All 20 of the spots are in a small area in Wehadkee Creek above and below the Highway 109 Spur bridge adjacent to Dewberry Access. At full pool, most of the fish attractors will be in 20 feet of water and provide great deep-water places for anglers to fish in the summer and winter.

“Local fishermen can insert the coordinates on their GPS and go straight to the sites to fish,” said Jacob. “So, if the area supports a good population of fish and large amounts being caught, local fishing retail stores should have an increase of sales: from bait and lures to fishing line and other supplies.”

Jacob, who picked the area because it was near his family’s lake house, said his project would not have happened if it were not for donations made by friends, neighbors and local businesses along with the approval and support of Derrick Wilkerson with the Corps of Engineers, Brent Hess with Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division Fisheries section and West Point Lake Coalition members Ray Roesel and Jack Struble. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

Fishiding underwater photos by Engbretson Underwater photography

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http://underwaterfishphotos.blogspot.com/2012/06/artificial-fish-habitat.html

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

Students protest to protect fish habitat

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About 150 Grade 8 students at Samuel Robertson Technical School checked out their usual stomping grounds Thursday, and made a point at the same time.

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

The five classes were on an awareness walk in response to changes to the federal Fisheries Act, but also checked out an ongoing stream project.

A control gate on Maggie Creek which flows into Kanaka Creek at 240th Street, helps maintain water levels in the wetlands area upstream, and creates more sheltered habitat away from the main stream.

The project was part of the habitat improvement required when the 240th Street bridge was built a few years ago.

That’s since improved Maggie Creek, confirmed by the presence of a few coho, stickleback and snapper found in the trap during the tour.

Only a few students however commented on Ottawa’s changes to the Fisheries Act now underway which will remove protection of habitat from all streams and just focus on streams of commercial, recreational or aboriginal value.

The phrase ‘harmful alteration, disruption destruction” of fish habitat in general is gone, while the new legislation says no one can cause “serious harm” to native, recreational or commercial fisheries.

Leigh Vivier was one of the few students carrying a Walk for Habitat sign and said he wants to make a difference.

“I want to help save Kanaka Creek – fish, animals and wildlife is at stake.”

He said the trap set in the creek showed that salmon are using Maggie Creek for habitat to stay safe from predators.

“And the number one predator is humans.”

Jade Plul and Alivia Stockall were also aware of the issue.

“We don’t want the fish to go extinct,” said Plul. “We want to save the fish,” added Stockall.

Senior biology teacher at Samuel Robertson Steve Halfnights said the exercise was an “awareness walk” and that many students probably have other concerns.

“For us, we just have to plant the seed and let the students make their choices down the road.”

Ross Davies, with the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society organized the walk. He helps teach Grade 8 science courses at Samuel Robertson.

He said the changes to the Fisheries Act could threaten the small tributary streams which could be considered neither recreational, commercial or aboriginal fishery.

“In our opinion, it (defining a stream that can be protected) becomes much more subjective.” Under the existing Fisheries Act, protection is automatic, he explained.

The new legislation removes the requirement to get authorization for disruption of any kind of fish habitat. That’s only required for waters that connected to recreational, commercial or aboriginal fisheries.

According to the government,  authorization will not be required for projects occurring in waters that do not support the recreational, commercial or Aboriginal fisheries. New tools will be available to manage smaller impacts to recreational, commercial and Aboriginal fisheries.By Phil Melnychuk – Maple Ridge News

Habitat Restoration in Michigan

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Ruddiman Shoreline After

Part of the Muskegon Lake shoreline where debris is being removed and stabilized with native vegetation to restore coastal habitat.

In Muskegon, Michigan we are restoring wetlands and stabilizing shorelines at 10 separate locations. The effort is helping Muskegon Lake, the Muskegon River and Lake Michigan recover from impairments to wetlands and the loss of fish and wildlife. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

Money spent on restoration is also helping to stimulate the local economy: the project produced a 6-to-1 return on the investment.

The ecological benefits of this project are clear. Our partners will remove more than 200,000 tons of sawmill waste and demolition material from shallow water and wetlands. They will replace 10,000 feet of hardened shoreline with native vegetation and restore nearly 24 acres of wetland. These changes will help fish and other wildlife return to their native habitat.

The economic benefits are clear as well. We invested $10 million in the project with our partner, the Great Lakes Commission.

A study undertaken by the Commission suggests that the project will generate:

  • a $12 million increase in property values,
  • $600,000 in new tax revenues annually
  • more than $1 million a year in new recreational spending in Muskegon
  • 65,000 additional visitors annually
  • an additional 55 cents in the local economy for every federal dollar spent

All told, for a $10 million investment, the project will create $66 million in economic benefits. The project will also create jobs in an area with an unemployment rate higher than 12 percent, while creating healthier habitat and more fish.

Posted April 30, 2012

Area golf courses filled with fish

Posted on by david
 Small lakes, streams, lagoons contain prime fish habitat
 
Mark Shaw of Ponte Vedra Beach shows a chunky bass he caught from a lagoon adjacent to a Northeast Florida golf course. Small boats are allowed on the lagoon. Bob McNally/The Times-Union

Bob McNally/The Times-Union
Mark Shaw of Ponte Vedra Beach shows a chunky bass he caught from a lagoon adjacent to a Northeast Florida golf course. Small boats are allowed on the lagoon.

Most of the world’s best golfers this week gather at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach. They’re there to tackle undulating and tricky greens, tough bunkers, tight fairways, and water hazards full of gators, snakes and sometimes round white balls.

But also on the agenda of some of those elite golfers is fishing in the ponds, lakes, lagoons and famous water hazards in and around the Stadium Course. Those waters are loaded with fish, including largemouth bass the size of newborn babies. The Sawgrass complex of lagoons and other watery spots is chock full of heavyweight bass, many weighing well more than 10 pounds, and fish to 15 pounds have been caught.

artificial fish habitat by fishiding.com

Those are truly world-class fish that many anglers in many places would pay a bundle to hook.

Often before or after a practice round, or a tough day in the rough, players such as Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Boo Weekley, Greg Norman, Mark O’Meara and many others have been known to hang up a graphite driver in favor of a graphite casting rod at The Players.

The bass fishing is so good in waters at the Stadium Course that years ago it was voted the best for big bass by elite PGA Tour fishermen. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

A poll was taken among the golf pros who fish different courses on Tour to learn which of the many places they visit offers the best fishing. The Stadium Course won by a wide margin.

Only players with PGA credentials, very special guests and perhaps course residents are allowed to fish Stadium Course waters, especially during the tournament. But area anglers should take a tip from the golfers that some of the best and most consistent fishing that anglers could ever hope for can be found in the water hazards and nearby ponds and lakes of golf courses.

habitat for fish installed before filling lake.

Not only do golf course waters have bass, but many are loaded with bluegills, crappies and catfish. In coastal regions, often saltwater species seep into the freshwaters or tidal waters of golf courses. Plenty of golf courses in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are full of fish such as red drum, flounder, baby tarpon, snook, ladyfish, black drum and other species.

While great fishing can be discovered in golf course waters, it’s probably wise not to eat fish caught from them because of the pesticides and fertilizers used on nearby turf. Nevertheless, for fun catch-and-release fishing, few places offer better action than golf course waters.

Getting permission to fish golf ponds can be challenging, particularly on private country clubs — which frequently offer the best action. But it’s worth the effort gaining access. Sometimes meeting and talking with the club pro is worthwhile. Explain you’ll not interfere with golfers on the course, and all fish will be released unharmed. Some golf courses are closed on Mondays, which is a prime time to fish their waters, and permission to fish is more easily obtained then. Dawn, dusk and night fishing is worthwhile because golfers are not on courses, and anglers don’t interfere with play.

In many golf course communities, residents and their guests are allowed to fish, so it pays to make friends with golfers. Golf resorts are popular vacation spots, and guests often have permission to fish water hazards as long as they don’t hamper golf play.

In large golf Meccas, frequently several courses are available, and many feature large, wandering connected ponds and creeks that snake around the area. Many such waters appear small, but instead might cover hundreds of acres, with many places surrounded by overgrown vegetation that’s ideal fish habitat.

Sometimes small, lightweight johnboats, canoes, kayaks and float tubes can be put in, which allows anglers to get far away from golfers and other people — to waters rarely fished. Electric fishing motors often are allowed on boats in golf course communities.

At some golf resorts, angling by visitors is encouraged on water hazards, to the point that improved boat ramps are available, and large bass boats even can be launched and used for fishing. Usually, no big outboards can be used, however, only quiet electric motors.

An important plus for golf course waters is that most are small, shallow, and have limited fishing pressure. Therefore, it takes comparatively little time for anglers to locate fish. More often than not, course ponds and lakes were dug by construction crews for use as fill when building greens, tees and bunkers.

Consequently, water hazards commonly have great structures such as holes, underwater islands, humps, bars, tapering points and drop-offs. Some golf ponds are mini-reservoirs, complete with creek channel edges, flooded timber and stumps, riprap and deep dam water.

In some shallow, natural golf course waters there is no well-defined structure to hold fish. In such waters, the outside edges of grass lines and lily pads might hold almost every fish in the lake or pond. Sometimes, ponds have deep undercut banks that harbor big bass and other species, particularly in sunny weather. Find a cool, shady bank with overhanging willows or other trees and you might have discovered the best fishing spot on an entire water hazard.

Bulkheads around greens and near fairway bunkers, and small footbridges for golf carts over water hazards, also can be outstanding fishing spots. I once stopped on such a bridge on a public Florida golf course and looked down into the shadows, hoping to see bass or bream.

Instead, I spotted a school of about a dozen catfish, none less than 10 pounds.

A little schmoozing of the club pro got permission to fish for the cats, and that afternoon friends and I worked them over using baits on bottom. We caught over a dozen hard-fighting channel cats, including one behemoth pushing nearly 20 pounds.

We released every cat, and have several times since fished the same water hazard — no doubt landing and releasing some of the same catfish over several years.

Not once have we seen another angler working the same spot, though many dozens of golfers cross the bridge daily.By Bob McNally

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