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Category: Fish Habitat News

If you have questions about natural fish habitat, fish structure, fish attractors, artificial fish habitat or Growing big fish, this is the Structurespot.
Here you will find information about fishiding artificial fish habitat, as well as all the others. From stories about sinking train cars and planes, to planting natural plants, we can talk about it here. Show us your own contraptions and how they are working out. Send us your pics of your structure and get advice on all aspects of this growing industry.

Saving fish habitat on a shoestring

Posted on by david

Jerry Wolford (News & Record)

Photo Caption:Eddie Bridges and his North Carolina Wildlife Habitat Foundation helped raise money to build the Frank A. Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center at Bur-Mil Park. This month, “Field & Stream” magazine named Bridges one of its “Heroes of…

What do you think?

 

GREENSBORO — There is no conference room.

No expense account.

No staff.

No office.

Just a phone number and a website.

If you call the number, that sonic boom of a voice on the other end means you’ve reached the right place: the home of Eddie Bridges, which doubles as the headquarters of the North Carolina Wildlife Habitat Foundation.

“We put our money in the dirt,” Bridges says with pride.

Of course, calling it a foundation is something of a misnomer.

This “pocket-change outfit,” as Bridges describes it, is pretty much all him. And a few, well-connected friends.

For 19 years, this Greensboro-based nonprofit has been doing what it can to acquire and protect open space for North Carolina wildlife.

In the beginning, about eight people showed up at a local library — “We didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Bridges says — for the first meeting. They had $38 to get the word out.

Since then, from yard sales to shilling for donations to an annual blowout party, Bridges and 18 board members have raised green to save green — more than $1 million toward an array of initiatives.

A Caswell County marsh project. An N.C. State black bear study. A Jordan Lake bass habitat project. The Frank A. Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center at Bur-Mil Park.

There are others, but those are the ones that make Bridges smile.

“Who’s going to take care of our natural resources if you don’t have groups like this?” asks Bridges, 78, a lifelong outdoorsman and father of three. “We’re not a group that can do everything in the world. We just move along at a comfortable pace. We do what we can today and leave the rest for tomorrow.”

Haven’t heard of these guys? It’s OK. By now, Bridges is used to it.

Most licensed hunters and fishermen “don’t even know we exist,” to say nothing of the general public, Bridges believes.

But then, he didn’t get into this for the notoriety, although he can’t escape it.

In 1993, he was named the North Carolina Conservationist of The Year.

He’s a member of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation Hall of Fame and the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.

A number of groups have included Bridges among the nation’s most outstanding conservationists.

So this month, when “Field & Stream” recognized him as one of their “Heroes of Conservation” — look for him on page 27 — it simply got added to the list.

“But I’m not going to downplay that,” Bridges says.

Besides, the distinction comes with a $500 check that Bridges says will go to the group’s latest cause: quail restoration.

And just when he thought he couldn’t win anything else, along comes Wednesday.

That’s when Bridges will be honored by the North Carolina Chapter of American Fisheries Society.

Then, finally, it’s back to saving the planet.

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

“There’s the need to get it done … for the future of my children and grandchildren. It’s my thing.”By MIKE KERNELS
Staff Writer

Do your kids like to fish and be outdoors?

Posted on by david

Have you started making summer plans yet? Well, if you have a youngster who is into fishing and all things outdoors, there is a great opportunity available.

The New Jersey School of Conservation in Sussex County will be the host site for a Coldwater Conservation School offered by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife and the N.J. State Council of Trout Unlimited. The School will be held June 28 to July 1 and is open to kids ages 11 through 14 at the time of the program.

This is an interesting experience that combines fun and learning. The goal of the school is to foster knowledge and appreciation of trout and the cold-water habitats on which they depend, basically helping kids understand what role they can play in conserving the habitat.

Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists and instructors from Trout Unlimited will teach sessions about stream ecology, fish habitat, fish biology and identification, aquatic insect identification, fly-tying, fly-casting and stream restoration. There will be evening programs where students will learn about reptiles and New Jersey’s black bears.

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

The cost of the Coldwater Conservation School is $200, which includes food, lodging and equipment for four days and three nights.

Applications are due no later than April 1. Students accepted into the school will be notified by the end of April. The school was very successful last year with more than 30 applicants, so the folks running the show urge you to get the application in as soon as possible.

If interested, you can find more information and an application at state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2012/conservation_school_application.pdf, or call Jessica Griglak at 908-637-4125 or email at Jessica.grigla@dep.state.nj.us.

TALKING TURKEY: The Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center will host a turkey hunting seminar at 1 p.m. March 10. Learn about the state restoration program and how to hunt this prized game bird.

The New Jersey Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will host a turkey call clinic immediately following the seminar. Registration is not required for the seminar or clinic.

FOR THE BIRDS: Here’s something different, courtesy of the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center. Friday is the 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bird watchers of all ages are asked to come and count birds to create a real-time snapshot of the bird population. Participants can pick up a tally sheet of bird species potentially seen there at this time of year.

Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes, but you can go longer if you wish. Count the greatest number of each species that you see together at one time. Count in as many places at Pequest as you choose, and keep a separate checklist for each location.

When finished, submit your results to the staff member at the front desk.

Your data will be entered.For more information, log on to birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html.

By MARK J. CZERWINSKI

Portland’s greenway adding fish habitat despite cost

Posted on by david

Construction of South Waterfront greenway to begin despite budget shortfall


BY: Lindsey O’Brien

Portland Parks and Recreation is moving forward with plans to build the South Waterfront Greenway, which would stretch for over a mile along the Willamette River in Southwest Portland. Construction is expected to begin this summer on the nearly $10 million project. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)

Portland Parks and Recreation is preparing for a lean budgetary year that could bring layoffs, park restroom closures and significant maintenance cutbacks. But construction of a long-awaited, nearly $10 million project is nevertheless expected to begin this summer, kicking off a plan to build paths and parks along the west bank of the Willamette River.

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

For more than a decade, the city of Portland has planned to construct a greenway that stretches 1.2 miles from the Marquam Bridge to the River Forum Building. If federal and city permits come through, construction of the first section will begin in July.

“I know that when you look at the kinds of cuts we’re going to need to make, it may seem interesting that we’re doing some new projects,” Parks and Recreation directorMike Abbaté said. “But the plan (for the greenway) precedes the economic downturn; it’s been in pipeline for many years and its funding sources are not flexible.”

The $9.5 million “central district” project includes construction of a five-block-long mix of lawn, park and plaza areas between Southwest Gibbs Street and Lane Street. Existing pathways leading out from two condo high-rises – Atwater Place and the Meriwether – will be extended to the new green space, which will have separate paths for bikes and pedestrians and a gravel beach to improve fish habitat.

“We anticipate people walking dogs or having picnics in the lawn and enjoying the upper terrace areas and experiencing the overlook at the water’s edge,” said Chelsea McCann, principal at landscape architecture firm Walker Macy.

A broad funding package is paying for the project. The Portland Development Commission contributed $4 million in 2010, and TriMet is providing $1 million for habitatimprovements as environmental mitigation credits it needs to proceed with the Portland-to-Milwaukie light-rail project.

Plans for the South Waterfront Greenway call for it to stretch for more than a mile along the Willamette River in Southwest Portland. The greenway will have separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as a gravel beach to improve fish habitat. (Rendering courtesy of Walker Macy)

Portland Parks and Recreation is contributing $2.3 million from its system development charge fund, which has approximately $7.6 million, according to program manager Riley Whitcomb. Park SDCs are assessed on new developments to help pay for development of new parks, trails and natural areas.

Along with smaller contributions from private developers and the Bureau of Environmental Services, the project has secured nearly $7.8 million. Portland Parks and Recreation is seeking ways to close the funding gap.

The river’s industrial past could add to project costs. The bank is littered with concrete debris, demolition rubble, steel pipes, ship parts and even steel ship hulls.

Construction manager/general contractorJames W. Fowler Co. has investigated soil conditions and other constructability issues since it was hired last May. Design reviews and site investigations performed over the last year led to the estimated construction budget jumping from $4.8 million to $6.78 million.

Beneath the soil, hidden industrial waste could significantly impact construction, according to Scott Thibert, project manager for James W. Fowler, which is why the budget includes $926,000 for unexpected issues.

General contractor James W. Fowler Co. is expected to begin work on the South Waterfront Greenway project this summer, as long as federal and city permits are secured. (Rendering courtesy of Walker Macy)

The first phase of the project will involve erosion control, site utilities and traffic control, Thibert said. Then, when in-water work can begin on July 1, crews will remove debris and begin work on the beach and upland areas.

Construction is expected to wrap up by summer 2013, but several rounds of approvals are required before construction can begin.

The Portland Design Commission reviewed the plans for the central district last week, but requested more information and pushed its decision back to March 1.

The commission asked the project team to study potential locations for the osprey nesting platform based on concerns expressed by neighbors, according to McCann. The team also is preparing more details about the feasibility of building a floating gangway and dock – a popular feature that appeared in early designs, but had to be removed because of concerns from federal agencies.

In addition, the team will require federal permits for removal of rubble from the bank, and final project approval from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Both are expected to be granted this spring.

“(The greenway) is a really important recreational facility,” Abbaté said. “Now is the time for it.”

Maintenance work to close one of Aurora’s main reservoirs

Posted on by david

 

Homestake DamCourtesy Aurora Water

Homestake Dam

SARA CASTELLANOS Aurora Sentinel

Homestake Dam and Reservoir, one of the city’s primary resources for water, will be drained for maintenance work that will last for about three years, and be closed to the public beginning September.

The reservoir, which straddles Eagle and Pitkin counties, will be closed to hikers, fishers, hunters, campers, backpackers and snowmobilers below the East Fork Trailhead prior to the dam access road on Homestake Road, the city’s water officials announced Wednesday.

“Terrain around Homestake is very steep, and we don’t want anybody on trails around it,” said Greg Baker, spokesman for Aurora Water. “Also, with all the construction equipment, we can’t have people near the dam itself.”

The reservoir will be drained for repairs to the gate and intake structure for the Homestake Tunnel, which carries the water from the reservoir to Turquoise Lake in Lake County. Contractors will replace the asphalt facing on the dam, which is 45 years old.

“Homestake has an asphalt faced dam which is unusual here but very common in Europe,” Baker said. “It makes it a little more difficult to find qualified contractors for.”

While this work is done, the

will work on fish habitat improvements, removal of hazardous trees and campsite rehabilitation in the area. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Homestake Dam and Reservoir has never undergone major maintenance. It was taken offline during the summer of 2009 so water officials could determine what work needed to be done.

The total cost of construction of the renovations is $35.5 million, with Aurora paying $17.5 million over four years and Colorado Springs paying the second half. Money to fund the project will come out of Aurora Water’s operating budget.

Before work can start, workers must replace the bridge on Homestake Road close to Highway 24. Also, a temporary access road must be constructed on the East side of the dam for construction traffic.

Aurora will begin collecting water from the reservoir again in April 2013. Snowpack conditions and water runoff will determine how long it will take to refill the reservoir.  The area will be open again to the public in spring 2014.

While Homestake is offline, the city will continue collecting water from Prairie Waters, the drought-hardening project that came online last year.

“Now that we have Prairie Waters online, it’s about the equivalent of what we take out of Homestake,” Baker said. “We’ll watch carefully and see what happens in 2013 and 2014. If we enter a drought scenario we’d have to be careful how we utilize the water but we’re at a position with Prairie Waters where we are at a comfort level.”

The city will not be drawing more water out of the South Platte and Arkansas rivers than it is now, Baker said.

Artificial Reefs and Seagrass

Posted on by david

Article of the Week 2 – Artificial Reefs

Posted by laymanc

Coastal ecosystems may be the most anthropogenically-altered on the planet.  Habitat loss, over-fishing, nutrient loading, and many other impacts have fundamentally changed the structure and function of these systems.  Many of these impacts operate over rather large spatial scales (think global warming or the loss of migratory fishes); however, most marine ecology actually is conducted at the smallest scales.  Foundational ecological theory took root in experiments conducted in coastal intertidal zones, often at scales of a meter or less.  But ecologists now are challenged to develop approaches that better fit the large scales at which human impacts are altering coastal ecosystems.

In terrestrial systems, “landscape” ecology is a well-developed sub-discipline.  Yet tenets of this are rarely applied in marine systems.  This study was among the first to do so and to use manipulative approaches as we constructed a series of artificial reefs in the Bight and specifically chose locations within different “seascape” contexts.  This allowed us to examine the importance of relatively large-scale (hundreds of meters) features in determining local fish community structure.  That is, instead of just examining small-scale aspects of the reef itself, we included much larger scale factors (such as seagrass cover) and used these to explain the makeup of fish communities.

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

We found that the amount of seagrass at large spatial scales was one of the most important features determining to number and identity of fishes using these artificial reefs.  Specifically, reefs that had more seagrass within 100 m had more fishes.  This may be explained by the fact that many reef species like grunts, snapper and lobster that use reefs during the day migrate out into the surrounding seagrass at night to feed.  However, not all species of fish responded to the amount of seagrass in the same way.  For example, the number of white grunts increased with more seagrass cover within the seascape, but the number of French grunts decreased.  This means that changes in the cover of seagrass within large areas surrounding reefs can affect both the number and types of fishes using reefs.  Human activities that cause even subtle changes to seagrass habitat can impact reef fish communities even before the complete loss of seagrass habitat.

Newman Branch Creek Habitat Restoration Project

Posted on by david

2011: CRP Project # 10-06 Newman Branch Creek Phase II Habitat Restoration

 CRP Project Page

Project Summary
Newman Branch Creek

The Newman Branch Creek Habitat Restoration Project, located in southeast Hillsborough County, Florida, will be undertaken in an effort to restore estuarine and freshwater habitat in the Tampa Bay area. The project will involve the removal of invasive exotic species, primarily Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) and the re-creation of a variety of native estuarine, freshwater, and upland habitats. Historically Tampa Bay has lost up to 40% of its original marsh/mangrove habitat, with the oligohaline environs having the greatest proportion of these impacts. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) and the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (SWFWMD) Surface Water Improvement and Management Program (SWIM) have both identified that these habitats are critical in the restoration of Tampa Bay. This
project will further those objectives by resulting in at least 6 acres of estuarine habitat restoration/creation for fisheries habitat, which addresses the priorities identified by the TBEP.

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

Project Name
Newman Branch Creek Phase II – Habitat Restoration Project

Project Location
Hillsborough County, Florida

Latitude/Longitude of the project site
27.78137 -82.404148

Land Ownership
Private -Tampa Electric Company (TECO) with a perpetual Conservation Easement

Anticipated NOAA Trust Resource(s) to benefit from restoration
Snook (Centropomus undecimalis), redfish (Scicenops ocellatus), spotted sea trout (Cunoscion nebulosus), and perhaps the Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus)

Project Start Date: December 2010
Project End Date: December 2011

Contact Info
Thomas F. Ries, Board President
Ecosphere Restoration Institute, Inc.
5886 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, Fl. 33716
www.ecosphererestoration.org

Largest man-made reef in the world protects fish habitat

Posted on by david

Anglers have high hopes for debate over value of artificial structure

A motion made at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting last week in Mobile, Alabama, could be the first step to protecting what has been regarded as the largest man-made reef in the world – the vast forest of energy-related structures in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Bob Shipp’s request to have Council staff clarify the definition of what qualifies as artificial structure could pave the way for rigs and other vital reefs to be classified as Essential Fish Habitat.

“For anglers who have been greatly concerned about the impact of this Administration’s directive to summarily remove all non-producing energy structures, this is a very welcome development,” said Pat Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association. “This is a chance for the Gulf Council and NOAA Fisheries to take a stand to protect that habitat, and we are grateful to Dr. Shipp for presenting this opportunity.” See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

In a misdirected response to the Gulf oil spill, the U.S. Department of Interior issued a directive in October of 2010 ordering that all non-producing rigs be plugged and any remaining structure removed within five years of the issuance of that directive. There are approximately 3,500 offshore structures in the Gulf of Mexico and the directive, known as the Idle Iron Policy, would immediately impact roughly 650 structures that have not produced oil or gas within five years of the directive issue date of Oct. 15, 2010.

“Anglers have already noted with alarm the disappearance of some rigs that have been in place for years – sometimes decades – that provided the base for flourishing ecosystems,” said Murray. “It is a completely avoidable tragedy, and we hope that the Council and NOAA Fisheries will do what it can to halt this needless destruction.”

Sen. David Vitter (R-La) and Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-Ms) have filed legislation that would prevent rigs and other structures from being summarily removed from the Gulf of Mexico, but both bills face a difficult road through the current Congress. A decision by NOAA Fisheries to declare artificial structures Essential Fish Habitat would be a significant addition to legislative efforts.

In 2009, Dr. Shipp and Stephen Bortone published a paper on the importance of artificial noaa

red vsnapper

habitat on the management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico which credits the deployment of energy structures in the mid-20th century for greatly increasing the harvest potential of red snapper.

“If the habitat limitation hypothesis is correct, and I believe it is, then it would be necessary to maintain or even increase the amount of artificial habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico to keep pace with fishing pressure,” said Dr. Shipp. “Taking it out makes no sense whatsoever.”

To learn more about this issue, visit the Rigs to Reefs page on the CCA website, www.JoinCCA.org.

###

CCA is the largest marine resource conservation group of its kind in the nation. With almost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters, CCA has been active in state, national and international fisheries management issues since 1977. For more information visit the CCA Newsroom at www.JoinCCA.org.

Sturgeon habitat endangered as well as fish

Posted on by david

Atlantic sturgeon added to endangered species list

Illegal to catch, sturgeon get more federal protection

The Atlantic sturgeon, one of the world’s oldest surviving species of fish, became the newest addition to the federally protected endangered species list last week, a designation that could lead to additional protections for the fish’s habitat.

Sturgeon have been illegal to fish or keep since 1998, but dangers still remain, including unintended catching, dams that block spawning zones, poor water quality, dredging of spawning areas and vessel strikes.

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

The National Marine Fisheries Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, declared the Chesapeake Bay, New York Bight, Carolina and South Atlantic sturgeon subspecies of Atlantic sturgeon as endangered. The Gulf of Maine sturgeon was listed as threatened.

A federal study of the fish in 2007 revealed populations far below historic levels. Before 1890, an estimated 180,000 adult female sturgeon spawned in the Delaware River. Today, that total is believed to be fewer than 300, according to NOAA. Historically known to spawn in 38 rivers along the Atlantic coast, today sturgeon spawn in only 20 of those rivers.

The designation followed a fall 2009 petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

NOAA determined the petition had merit in January 2010 and proposed that in October 2010 the species be listed as endangered. The agency held six public hearings and received comments from 119 people or organizations, some of which opposed the designation.

“The Atlantic sturgeon survived the Ice Age but is now threatened with extinction,” council senior attorney Brad Sewell said in a release. “Despite a more than decade-old ban on fishing for the sturgeon, a host of other threats — including ongoing catch in other fisheries, habitat damage, pollution and the growing effects of climate change — have proved too challenging for the species to recover. By recognizing the fish’s endangered status, the federal government is giving this remarkable fish a fighting chance to live on into the 21st century.”

Harvested since the 1870s for their caviar, Atlantic sturgeon can live past 60 years, grow to 14 feet and weigh 800 pounds, according to the release.

Technically a bony fish, the sturgeon also share many characteristics with sharks and fin fish, said David Secor, a fisheries biologist at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons.

“They really are amazing looking fish,” he said.

Though the fish have not spawned in state waters for decades, it is known to still reproduce in the James River in Virginia and travel north into the bay and is sometimes found, though rarely, in the Patuxent and Potomac rivers, Secor said.

“Many in the Chesapeake are visiting from other rivers and states,” he added. “They tend to be fairly far-flung.”

The primary threats to Atlantic sturgeon are fisheries, where the fish can get caught up in nets and end up as part of the harvest’s bycatch, or unintentional catch. Listing the fish as an endangered species could help reduce the number of sturgeon killed in commercial nets, Secor said.

“Sturgeon tend to poke their noses into all kinds of nets,” including gill and pound nets and even crab pots, Secor said

The designation could affect the monk fish and dogfish fisheries in particular, he added.

Secor said the designation “maybe was warranted” since bycatching is such a threat to the species, but as a part of the current efforts to restore the Atlantic sturgeon population, he described himself as “ambivalent” about the listing.

He said the ban on fishing sturgeon has been effective and that there is evidence the fish’s numbers are rebounding in the Hudson River in eastern New York and rivers throughout New England.

“South of the Chesapeake, it’s not looking too good,” Secor said.

But he called the Atlantic sturgeon a “resistant species,” as evidenced by their prehistoric descendants.

“I like to think they swam with dinosaurs,” he said.

The good news for the Atlantic sturgeon is that “they are all over the place,” Secor said.

But the bad news is that water quality in the Chesapeake Bay is so poor that the oxygen-hungry fish has a very hard time surviving there. Secor described the Atlantic sturgeon as one of the “most sensitive species of fish to low oxygen.”

jnewman@somdnews.com

25% of the fry in the lake lost to mechanical weed harvesting

Posted on by david

J. Aquat. Plant Manage. 37: 34-36
Vertebrates Removed by Mechanical Weed
Harvesting in Lake Keesus, Wisconsin
TRAVIS L. BOOMS

INTRODUCTION
Mechanical weed harvesting has been used to control nuisance vegetation in Lake Keesus since 1979.

Fish, turtles,and amphibians often become entangled in the vegetation
and are incidentally removed from the lake while harvesting
weeds. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in  science based, proven, fish protection.

Mechanical harvesting removed 2 to 8% of the standing crop of juvenile fish in harvested areas in Saratoga Lake,New York (Mikol 1985) and 32% of the fish population in
harvested areas in Orange Lake, Florida, representing an
estimated replacement value of $6,000 per ha (Haller et al.
1980).

Engel (1990) found mechanical harvesting removed
21,000 to 31,000 fish per year from Lake Halverson, Wisconsin, representing 25% of the fry in the lake. Little other current information has been published concerning aquatic vertebrate removal by mechanical weed harvesting in Wisconsin. Continue reading “25% of the fry in the lake lost to mechanical weed harvesting”

How do healthy forests grow healthy fish?

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