The stream in front of the post office will now be better for fish life.

By Becky Emmers | Email the author | May 20, 2011

The Upper St. Clair Public Works department teamed up with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission during National Public Works Weekto help improve the stream that runs in front of the post office along McLaughlin Run Road.

“We had a need for some bank stabilization,” said Dave Kutschbach, superintendent of projects for the public works department.

The organizations worked together to design a project that stabilizes the bank and creates a fish habitat.

“We created structures that directs the water down the center,” Kutschbach said.

Channelizing the stream will prevent bank erosion along with providing structures for the fish to live under.

“The structures create some overhead cover for the fish to stay away from predators like birds and raccoons,” said Jon Thomas, from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Thomas said the new structures give the possibility of creating more fish life in the stream.

“There isn’t much here right now, but they’ll start to congregate,” Thomas said.

The fish include basic minnows, daces and carp, he said.

“The structures will stop sediment from going into the streams and make the water better for the organisms,” said Keith Beamer, of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

The Allegheny County Conservation District was also involved with the project.

“It provides dual benefits. Better relationships develop between the township, nonprofits and state organizations,” said Amy Miller, of Allegheny County Conservation. “And it results in a cleaner stream. There’s going to be less sediment so that means less flooding. And it makes it prettier.”

“This project is an example of the township’s commitment to conservation and clean streams,” Kutschbach said.

The public works department also celebrated National Public Works Week with an open house for kids and the community. Click here to read the article.

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“Cast A Fly…Catch A Student” National Fishing in Schools Program

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Double Duo–Spring Fling Trophy Shoot Event

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Check out the latest educational opportunities available through the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission! There’s something for everyone!

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The Big Bucks are on their way!!

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On a hot day last summer, biologists from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks ventured to Danaher Creek, deep in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and caught hundreds of young purebred westslope cutthroat trout.

The fish made the 24-mile journey out of the wilderness on the backs of mules, packed in water-filled coolers fed with bottled oxygen. Once out of the wilderness, they were transported to their new home at the Sekokini Springs hatchery in Coram.

“We had 100 percent survival,” FWP biologist Matt Boyer told interested anglers last week.

Many of those fish and their offspring will have a new home in the Necklace Chain of Lakes in 2012 as part of an ongoing effort to preserve westslope cutthroats in the South Fork.

Since 2007, the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Project has slowly, but surely, been replacing non-native fish and hybrids in lakes in the South Fork drainage in an effort to preserve some of the last remaining purebred strains of westslope cutthroats in the nation.

This year, the effort will continue in the Necklace Chain of Lakes in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. In late August, FWP biologists and technicians will treat the small lakes and a portion of the outlet stream with rotenone, a chemical that kills fish.

Rotenone is not hazardous to humans, but it prevents the absorption of oxygen across a fish’s gills. Death comes quickly. Rotenone was first used by South American and Asian natives to catch fish. It was originally derived from the roots of the derris plant, a pea species from Asia, and the lonchocarpus plant, from South America.

Rotenone will be hauled in by mules and applied to the Necklace Chain of Lakes. Biologists will cut the bladders of dead fish that rise to the top to prevent attracting bears and other birds.

The treatment can linger up to three months, biologists note. A chemical that neutralizes rotenone will be applied downstream from the outlets of the lakes to prevent harm to fish further downstream.

All told, the treatment will take a few days. The following spring, the effects of the rotenone will have dispersed, and the lakes can be re-stocked with purebred westslope cutthroat trout.

Prior to treatment, lakes in the conservation project were rife with non-native fish, including rainbow trout, rainbow-cutthroat crosses and yellowstone cutthroat crosses. The worry among biologists is that the continued hybridization of westslope trout with non-native fish eventually will wipe out the purebred cutts in the South Fork.

To date, Black, Blackfoot, Big Hawk, Clayton and Wildcat lakes have been treated and re-stocked. Many of the lakes are fishing well already, Boyer said, and some lakes already have natural fish reproduction just a year after being re-stocked.

Several other lakes are being treated through an effort known as “swamping,” where hundreds of purebred westslope cutthroat trout are added to a lake that contains hybrid fish. As the fish breed overtime, it’s hoped that the hybrid genetics will be squeezed out of the population.

All told, the entire project will cover 21 lakes in the Bob Marshall and Jewel Basin area. Biologists have also teamed up with the Backcountry Horsemen of the Flathead for packing services.

There are challenging waters ahead. Handkerchief Lake poses challenges because the outlet stream, Graves Creek, is short and flows into the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Biologists will have to be careful not to kill trout in the reservoir itself.

One the of the last lakes to be treated will be Sunburst, a large lake in the Bob Marshall that will need thousands of pounds of rotenone for treatment

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A state hatchery in Coram recently received the final funding it needs to complete its construction. The Sekokini Springs Westslope Cutthroat Isolation Facility, located off the North Fork of the Flathead River near Blankenship Bridge, is one of two hatcheries in Montana where wild, genetically pure strains of trout are accepted.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council recently approved about $1.8 million in funding for the state-run hatchery that’s been operating as an advanced conservation hatchery for more than a decade. The funding will be used over the next few years to finish the hatchery’s master plan, which calls for an outdoor pond and stream habitat to complement the indoor isolation facility.

While other hatcheries rely on the state’s only westslope cutthroat brood stock at the Washoe Park Trout Hatchery in Anaconda, Sekokini Springs will serve as a diversity resource for Montana waters that have lost genetically pure strains of westslope cutthroat trout over the years, said Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist Brian Marotz, who helped manage the Sekokini hatchery since it was acquired by the state in 1998.

Sekokini Springs operated as a private rainbow trout farm for about 40 years on land leased from the Flathead National Forest. The state acquired the improvements, including a 60-by-40-foot building with concrete raceways, for about $70,000. The building was insulated to prevent condensation, damaged siding was replaced, and the artesian springs that supply the facility were capped and piping was installed to secure the water supply from airborne contaminants.

Sekokini Springs is used to quarantine juvenile cutthroat collected from wild sources. The fish are held in raceways, tested for disease and genetic purity, and eventually certified for use as a hatchery resource. FWP has identified about 50 genetically pure strains in the wild to draw from, mostly in South Fork drainages. Cutthroats in other drainages have been exposed to hybridization with rainbow and Yellowstone cutthroat trout strains.

Ironically, Sekokini Springs may have been a primary source for rainbow hybridization in the lower Flathead River system. The hatchery likely “leaked” fish over the years into the North Fork Flathead River, Marotz said. The hatchery now is entirely contained, and its waste water is disposed of through a special drainfield.

With the new funding, the building will be expanded, and two large, still-functioning ponds will be restored and converted into four ponds. Another pond will be created to grow wild feed. Grasshoppers and meal worms already are being cultivated at the hatchery.

Pond Boss moderator Dave Davidson examines a crawfish trap. Pondmeister Johnny Tanner, from Carrollton, Georgia, has a small pond where he raises crawfish to feed his bass in a larger lake. Inset: Oronectes, ‘papershell crayfish’ from Missouri.

Any bass angler who fishes Midwestern ponds or lakes can testify to the importance or frequency of finding remains of crayfish in stomachs of largemouth bass (LMB). When food habits of LMB were studied at Murphy Flowage, Wisconsin many years ago, the most prominent forage item was crayfish. A conclusion of the study was that LMB were not an effective predator on the high-density population of slow growing bluegill (BLG). Biologists failed to recognize that panfish outweighed the total weight of LMB by about 10:1. Apparently when LMB have relatively little competition for food they chose crayfish over forage fish. What would you choose in your favorite cafeteria offering free food, lobster or fish?

A sidelight of the Murphy Flowage studies was a major effort to improve BLG growth rate by removing as many fish as possible with large seines. Large seines have relatively large mesh and were effective at harvesting the largest fish of the adult population. It was a surprise to discover that subsequent to the removal, BLG growth rate declined. Harvesting adult bluegill resulted in reduced competition for food, an explosion of bluegill reproduction and a dramatic increase in BLG numbers in the lake.

More recent studies have shown that in order to have a balanced population of BLG with good growth and fish of quality (6-inch) and larger sizes, at least 90% annual mortality of age-I and age-II BLG (1.5 to 3.5 inches long) is needed: i.e. 10,000 age-I reduced to 1000 age-II which are reduced to 100 age-III. BLG of this size and age are prey for LMB 12 to 15 inches long. In well balanced communities of BLG and LMB a favorable total weight ratio is 3 or 4 to 1 at any point in time.

Two other unsuccessful efforts to improve growth rate and size structure of forage are informative. In one case, in Wisconsin, adult northern pike were introduced into a population of stunted yellow perch. The result was a decline in the number of quality-size perch. A second case in Nebraska was an effort to reduce numbers and improve size distribution of bullheads by stocking an effective predator, adult flathead catfish. In both cases the introductions did not result as intended because both predators were selective for the largest of the forage available in the lake. The principle learned is the importance of the relationship between size of predator and size of prey.

Back to the question of crayfish. The rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) is an unwelcome visitor in some northern lakes. It has been introduced by anglers using crayfish as bait… not the first time the bait bucket has been a source of an introduction. The impact in many of these lakes has been loss of valuable habitat and native aquatic plants.

I had a similar experience with a different species of Orconectes in a one-acre fishing pond in Missouri. The pond was about 8 feet deep and with clear water. There was a ring of vegetation growing to a depth of 7 feet. In mid-summer the pond looked like a donut with a small opening in the deepest part. Fishing was difficult or impossible except in early spring.

In the fall I had the opportunity to introduce about 10 gallons of crayfish, a byproduct of some other fishing pond research. From my perspective the result was a success. The following year water transparency declined to about 2 feet and vegetation was limited to water less than 2 feet deep. It was easy to fish the pond from shore all summer long. The species of crayfish in this genus do not burrow but have a strong thigmotaxis–a desire to be touching something. In native habitat that could be a log or rock that they could get next to or under. In clay-bottom ponds they work to form a shallow depression where they rest during the day. This tactic may help to avoid predation.

In a small shallow pond without fish and wall-to-wall vegetation, I introduced a small number of Orconectes. The next summer the pond looked muddy; the water transparency was reduced to a few inches and a plant hook came back empty. The aquatic plants were gone. The impact of the crayfish was excessive.

In an established fishing pond with an excess of rooted vegetation into deep water the introduction of Orconectes might yield positive results by improving conditions for fishing, increasing capacity for production of LMB, possibly promoting better wind induced circulation, an improved oxygen profile and a reduction or avoidance of excessively high pH due to decreased aquatic plant mass. The problem is how to find a source of Orconectes?

Fish farmers often produce crayfish in minnow ponds. There, crayfish can be a liability because they injure minnows when ponds are seined or harvested. On fish farms, crayfish are an unwanted byproduct. It is unlikely to find crayfish in catfish ponds because they are a preferred food item.

An easy source of crayfish is the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) sold for human food. Production is a major industry in rice fields. Although Orconectes prefers to feed on vegetation, the red swamp crayfish can be carnivorous and eat insect larvae, tadpoles, snails and small fish. Such food habits would not be an asset in most fishing ponds. Red swamp crayfish have been introduced into many areas. An undesirable attribute of the genus and a relative, Cambarus, is the habit of burrowing. Burrowing activity can damage water control structures, dams and levees. P. clarkii is an intermediate host for parasitic helminthes of vertebrates. Because of adverse affects, efforts for eradication have been attempted in some areas.

What might a pond owner do to introduce something with limited ability for natural dispersion that would feed primarily on plant material or detritus and increase the production of food for fish? A critter that has appeal to me is a different decapod, Palaemonetes, a freshwater prawn also called glass shrimp. They are relatively small, up to 2 inches long, and free swimming. I introduced some into a sediment trap pond above a 35-acre lake in Missouri. They moved downstream and have persisted in the lake for many years.

What about simply buying red swamp crayfish and using them as supplemental food for LMB? Sure, it has been done, countless times. As a pond manager, your job is to learn the facts and make the best decisions you can make. One pondmeister, in central Oklahoma, has bought different kinds of living supplemental food for his bass for years. During the crayfish season, he might buy 2,000 pounds to stock into his 10 acre lake. His mission is to supplement the natural food chain. For him, it works. His bass are so overcrowded that crayfish don’t stand a chance to establish themselves. There is relatively little crayfish habitat and so many bass that the mudbugs don’t stand much of a chance at survival. Advantage, bass.

But, look at another real world case. In 1984, lake manager Billy Cooper, from Houston, Texas, helped renovate a well-known fishing lake that sits less than fifteen miles from the Texas coast. The lake was drained, bulldozers did their magic, rearranging heavy clay soils in the flat country. The lake refilled and restocked with forage fish to set the table to grow giant largemouth bass.

Within months, the lake looked like chocolate milk. What happened?

This 30 acre lake sits in the middle of rice country along the Texas gulf coast. After the bulldozers left, the landowner seeded part of the lake bottom with rye grass and let it grow to six inches before flooding the lake in January… about the time crayfish are feeding and growing as fast as they can.

The source of the muddy water was literally hundreds of pounds of growing, thriving crayfish, fighting for food and for space and stirring bottom clay soils. These creatures were outcompeting the fish, overeating the food chain and making the lake muddy.

After a concerted effort at trapping, crayfish numbers were reduced to the point that fish could begin to thrive and the water cleared well enough the lake could perform as wished. In this case, crayfish cost the landowner some time and were a problem.

Crayfish asset or liability? The best answer is, it all depends. If they are introduced under appropriate circumstances, it would be important to prevent overharvest of LMB and maintain numbers and sizes to take advantage of an increased food supply. If you get a good population established you may decide to trap out a mess to make a poor-man shrimp cocktail or a New Orleans gumbo. Bon Apetit.

POND BOSS Magazine is the world’s leading resource for fish, pond and fisheries management information including discussions on muddy water, raising trophy fish, fish feeding, building a pond, algae control and more. Check us out at www.pondboss.com or contact Bob Lusk, the Pond Boss himself, at 903-564-5372. His books, Basic Pond Management, Raising Trophy Bass and Perfect Pond, Want One, may be purchased by calling 800-687-6075 or ordering online at www.pondboss.com