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Tag: crappie habitat

“The Refuge” artificial fish habitat

Posted on by david

Price: $350.00
SKU: oas-6
Weight: 142.00 LBS
Rating: ( 1 product review )
Shipping: Free Shipping
Quantity:                                             

Product Description
Here is what you have been asking for! A substanial addition to any habitat plans, this deeper water structure group, has room for all ages and sizes of fish.

With three each of the Keeper and Safehouse, this resting area provides a total of 318 square feet of surface area.

The right amount of cover to create room for fish to rest and feed in the same location.

These six units will cover an area between 20×10 feet, or a line over 30 feet long.

Experiment with different layouts with each additional refuge you install.

Keeper

Maximum shade and protection is abundant throughout this eco. friendly product made with reclaimed pvc material. With limbs all standing a full 48″, these 2-1/2″-3-1/2″ wide surfaces grow algae and aquatic life quickly.

Each keeper weighs approx. 32 pounds, and is recommended for depths over 10 feet. This large and somewhat coarse cover, provides habitat for all sizes of fish.

Bass,crappie,panfish alike utilize the shading effects of this new type of artificial fish attractor. Go-green and promote fish habitat restoration! Made in the USA with all American made materials.

Reclaimed pvc limbs provide an eco.-friendly solution to fish habitat loss and degradation.

Safehouse

These safehouse fish habitat units stand 46″ tall and weigh 16 pounds each. This fish attractor has all the needed shade and coverage to hold all sizes of fish.

Consisting of limbs ranging in width from 2.5″-3.5″ wide and 18″-46″ tall, they open to a full 72″ wide. With a minimum of 44 square feet of surface area, it provides plenty of room for algae and shade to attract fish.

Recommended for depths of 6′-12′. Reclaimed pvc limbs provide an eco.-friendly solution to fish habitat loss and degradation.

Bend to shape by hand to any desired shape and toss in water. Sinks itself. Made in the USA with all American made materials.

Over 44 square feet surface area each.

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Product Reviews
perfect price and size
Posted by Unknown on 27th Apr 2011

thanks for adding this group of structure. i alraedy bought two keepers and they work good.Will be ordering more of these groups sonn.

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Install artificial fish attractors and fish habitat easy!

Posted on by david

Click on the link below to see how easy fishiding is to install. Self contained units which require no tools or additional parts/materials. Units come in either 8″ or 10″ tall boxes, ready to be bent to shape. The pliable pvc material bends easily by hand to unlimited shapes and angles. Maximum shade is cast by the wide limbs which grow algae fast. Bass, Crappie, Panfish are just a few of the species that love this new reclaimed, environmentaly friendly fish habitat. Numerous sizes are available form aquariums to the oceans. Various textures provide cover for newly hatched fry to full grown predators.

 

fishiding installation of artificial fish habitat/fish attractors

fishiding.com

Increasing Fish Production

Posted on by david

Ohio Pond Management
Increasing Fish Production
Methods of Increasing Fish Production
Fertilization
Artificial Feeding
Adding Fish Habitat Structures

Pond owners should view their ponds as selfsustaining bodies of water that are capable of providing all of the ingredients necessary for good fish production. The amount of fishes that can be harvested depends upon a pond’s ability to produce them, and this amount varies from pond to pond. Ohio ponds can often support up to 250 pounds of fish per acre, although this amount is generally less for ponds that are smaller than one acre. If a pond’s normal fish production is less than what the pond owner deems acceptable, it may be possible to enhance production.

The most effective methods to artificially increase fish production are pond fertilization and fish feeding (pellet feeding pictured). However, each of these methods can also cause pond problems, so pond owners should consider them only after carefully weighing the trade offs associated with trying to increase fish production.

Fertilization
Fertilization can improve fish production by increasing the production of tiny plants and animals at the bottom of the food chain, the phytoplankton and zooplankton. This increase in production at the bottom of the food web may ultimately translate into improved growth and production of sport fish. However, negative impacts from fertilization can also result if the added nutrients stimulate growth of undesirable types of aquatic vegetation and algae. Whereas excess vegetation can be a problem to anglers and swimmers during warm weather months, it can also make the pond more susceptible to fish kills due to a build-up of dead and decaying plant material. The pond owner may find that the cost of fertilizer, effort to maintain a fertilization program, and risk of fish kills outweigh the benefits of the increase in fish harvested.

Most ponds in Ohio are adequately supplied with nutrients from the surrounding watershed and should not require artificial fertilization. In fact, many ponds receive so many nutrients from the watershed alone that problems develop with growth of excess vegetation and reductions in water quality. The following criteria should be met if a pond is to be considered for fertilization: 1) the watershed to pond ratio is less than 20 acres of watershed per surface acre of pond, 2) the watershed consists primarily of woodland acreage with soils that are low in fertility, and 3) the pond has a minimal amount of shallow water and most of the shoreline has the recommended 3:1 slope to discourage the growth of aquatic vegetation. Ponds without these characteristics should not be fertilized.

If fertilization is appropriate, then the pond owner needs to proceed with the proper treatment applied on a careful schedule. The recommended procedure is monthly applications of liquid fertilizers 10-34-0 (N-P-K) applied at the rate of two gallons per surface acre. Treatments should begin when water temperatures reach 60°F in the spring, and stop when water temperatures drop below 60°F in the fall. Fertilization should be temporarily halted when water temperatures exceed 80°F during the summer. Dilute each gallon of fertilizer with 10 gallons of water and spray the mixture evenly over the pond surface. Water clarity is a simple and convenient way to measure the progress of a fertilization program. The water clarity should be monitored twice each month throughout the fertilization season. This is easily accomplished by simply lowering a white object into the pond, such as a coffee mug on the end of a string. The white object should be visible to at least 18 inches below the water’s surface. If the object is not visible down to 18 inches, overfertilization may be a problem. In this case, postpone the next fertilizer treatment until the water has cleared somewhat and remeasure water clarity.

Artificial Feeding
Feeding is the most direct and reliable method to increase production of bluegills and channel catfish in ponds that are less than five acres. Proper artificial feeding will increase fish growth and provide larger fish for anglers. Unlike fertilization, with artificial feeding all of the nutrients go directly into fish production rather than the complex food chain. For ponds less than five acres, feeding is a feasible way to increase fish production. Bluegills and channel catfish will readily eat pelleted feeds that are available at agricultural feed stores. Pellet feed containing at least 25 to 32 percent protein will produce the best growth. Largemouth bass prefer live natural foods and will seldom eat pelleted feed.

Training fishes to accept artificial pellets may take a few days. When bluegills are feeding on the surface in the evening, tossing a few floating pellets into the areas where they are feeding will teach them to eat pelleted food. Begin an artificial feeding program by feeding fish about two pounds of pellets per acre per day. This amount may be increased to 15 pounds per acre per day after they have become accustomed to being fed. The feeding rate should be adjusted in the summer according to how much the fish are eating. Feeding may slow or even cease during the summer if water temperatures get above 85°F.

The best guide to feeding fishes is to give them no more than they can eat in 15 to 20 minutes. Using floating pellets in a feeding ring is a good way to monitor how much food they are eating. A feeding station approximately three feet in diameter can be constructed by sealing the ends of a piece of corrugated field tile. Connect the ends after sealing to form a three-foot circle and place the tile in an area of the pond that can easily be reached to fill with food (pictured right).

A pond owner should be willing to make a long-term commitment to continue feeding before a feeding program starts. Feeding should begin in the spring when water temperatures reach 60°F and should stop in the fall when water temperatures drop to 60°F. Fish should be fed daily at approximately the same time and in the same place. Missing a few days of feeding while on vacation will not cause problems if feeding is consistent during the remainder of the summer. Overfeeding fish can cause many of the same problems as overfertilization. Food that is not eaten by fish will decompose and use up the pond’s dissolved oxygen (see fish kills). Decomposing food can also release nutrients into the water that may promote the growth of aquatic vegetation and algae.

Adding Fish Habitat Structures to the Pond
Habitat structures –“fish shelters,” or “fish attractors”– are primarily designed to concentrate fish and increase an angler’s chances of success. Depending upon the size and type of materials used, structures can provide cover, resting areas, and feeding areas. Habitat structures can act as substitutes for natural cover in ponds where these types of areas are lacking.

Habitat structures can be constructed from many different natural and man-made materials. Easily obtained materials such as discarded Christmas trees can be banded together, weighted and sunk, although trees such as oak, hickory, and cedar work best due to their resistance to decay (brush pile picture right) . Man-made materials such as PVC pipe, field tile, concrete block, and wooden pallets can also be fashioned into fish attracting devices. Habitat structures can be placed into the pond from the bank if the structures are not too large and there is relatively deep water near the shore. Larger structures can be placed from a boat to allow access to deeper water.

Winter ice cover provides an excellent opportunity to build and place structures too large to install from the shore or by boat. These structures can be built on the ice, or built on shore and dragged out onto the ice. In either case, the structure is placed on the ice and allowed to fall into the desired location when the ice melts (see brush piles on ice to the right).

Fishes & anglers alike will make the best use of habitat structures that are distributed carefully in the best locations. These structures are best placed in water that is within reasonable casting distance from shore & two to eight feet deep to allow consistent fish use. Habitat structures should not be placed in the deepest part of the pond where low dissolved oxygen levels (common during summer) make them inaccessible to fish.

Shabbona Lake hosts Rockfest

Posted on by david

Shabbona Lake hosts Rockfest

Sportsman’s Club will put artificial structures into lake

January 31, 2011|By Don Dziedzina | On the outdoors

Experienced anglers know that most fish are found in only a relatively small portion of a lake. The reason is structure.

Structure is what makes fish congregate in certain locations. Fish also use structure as a route when migrating from one place to another to feed or spawn.

What is structure? In a lake, natural structure is the lake bottom, rocks, trees, weeds, drop-offs and more.

But it can also be artificial. Fish cribs, stake beds and fish habitats, made by or put in the water by man, are examples of artificial structure. A fish crib can be pilings of criss-crossed wooden boards. Habitat can look like a bush made of a dozen or more pieces of plastic tubing set into a 5-gallon bucket filled with concrete. Sometimes discarded Christmas trees are tethered to a concrete block and sunk in the water. A pile of rocks is another example.

One thing that most artificial structures do is accumulate algae. Small-bait fish and fry are attracted for the food and cover. Their presence in turn attracts panfish and gamefish.

Fish use structure to find food and as cover, either from sunlight or from predators. Some fish will place themselves in cover as an ambush point when they are the predator.

The bottom line is that artificial structures are often placed in heavily fished lakes to create more fishable locations.

One such body of water is Shabbona Lake in DeKalb County. On Saturday, the Shabbona Lake Sportsman’s Club will host the 11th annual Rockfest. But this is no music festival. It’s an event where rocks will be placed into the lake for artificial structure.

“Three truck loads of rock, 20 tons each, are coming from the Macklin quarries in Rochelle.” said club President Rich McElligott. “So we’re always looking for helpers who will load rocks on plywood sleds. ATVs will drag the sleds out to onto the lake and the rocks will be dumped into the water through a hole in the ice. Bobcats will bring out the bigger rocks.”

The rocks are mostly the size of softballs or basketballs. They’re also getting about 50 rocks that are will be 2-foot-by-3-foot.

This year, rocks will be placed by an underwater point across from the spillway. Some large dead trees that have been collected at the Shabbona State Park also will be submerged at other parts of the lake. The Illinois DNR fisheries biologists are always consulted before adding the artificial structure.

Since this program started 11 years ago, more than 1,000 tons of rocks have been added to various locations at Shabbona Lake, including some shorelines where rock was used for rip rap to help reduce erosion. The Illinois Smallmouth Alliance, DuPage River Fly Tyers and Shabbona Lake Sportsman’s Club each purchased a truckload for this event.

The event has in years past drawn from 35 to 75 helpers. Once the work is completed, the club hosts a brat and hot dog cookout. Many helpers spend the rest of the day ice fishing.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the Shabbona Lake park office at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Shabbona Lake is off Route 30 by the town of Shabbona in DeKalb County. For more information on this event, call Rich McElligott at 815-824-2523.

Don Dziedzina’s blog is at Illinoisoutdoors.com

 

Lake Kegonsa Fish Cribs Locations

Posted on by david
2010 Fish Crib Locations Map >> Click Here
.pdf Adobe document will open in a new browser window.

Fisheries Committee

 

The goal of the Fisheries Committee is to preserve and improve the quality of fishing in Lake Kegonsa.  They meet with various agencies and concerned individuals to discuss ways to achieve this.  Topics of interest include: breeding habitats, fish cribs, fish stocking, invasive species (plant & fish) and harmful runoff.

 

 

Fish Crib Project
The FOLKS Fish Committee after years of planning built and placed 31 fish cribs into Lake Kegonsa in the spring of 2009.   This was a joint effort between FOLKS and the DNR.  FOLKS provided the funding for all materials, some equipment, and barge rental and got many volunteers to provide most of the labor.  The DNR obtained all permits, provided additional equipment and labor, including crib design and location.   Because of the limited amount of structure in Lake Kegonsa, we hope this can be an every 3 -5 year project.  Free lake maps distributed by Dane County Parks show the GPS crib locations.

 

Five fish cribs were placed in the lake in 2008 in the following locations.

 

Degrees Degrees, Minutes Degrees, Min, Sec

1. 42.96754° x -89.23289°            42° 58.0524’ X -89° 13.9734’            42° 58’ 3.1” X -89° 13’ 57.6”

2. 42.96765° x -89.23277°            42° 58.0590’ X -89° 13.9662’            42° 58’ 3.5” X -89° 13’ 57.9”

3. 42.96760° x -89.23247°            42° 58.0560’ X -89° 13.3942’            42° 58’ 3.4” X -89° 13’ 24.7”

4. 42.96746° x -89.23231°            42° 58.0476’ X -89° 13.9386’            42° 58’ 2.9” X -89° 13’ 56.3”

5. 42.96741° x -89.23260°            42° 58.0446’ X -89° 13.9560’            42° 58’ 2.7” X -89° 13’ 57.4”

 

 

Aquatic Plant Management Committee

The committee is concerned with reducing invasive and harmful aquatic plants.  This is a major concern for almost everyone who enjoys spending time on the lake.  The committee has been in close contact with Dane County and DNR officials regarding future plans for weed control in Lake Kegonsa.

Aquatic Plant Survey

On Thursday June 10th, Peter Foy, Ray Potempa, and Tom McGinnis conducted a survey of the lake to assess the aquatic plant growth situation.  We began the survey from Peter’s dock using his boat.  We proceeded clockwise around the lake, following the shoreline.  We encountered fairly thick growth almost immediately out from shore at a depth of approximately 4 to 5 feet.  As we moved out to 6.5 to 7 feet it cleared up.  This pattern continued around Lunds Point and well into Barbers Bay.  We encountered a couple of clear areas; however the growth was pretty consistent in all of Barbers Bay all the way to Colladay Point.  From that point on we encountered very minor growth in the rest of the lake.  Most of the vegetation we encountered was Eurasian watermilfoil.

 

 

Rules and Regulation Committee

 

Of universal concern to most riparian owners, are the proposed regulations regarding piers and boatlifts.  The Rules and Regulation Committee have very diligently been tracking the progress of these regulations over the past year.

A special meeting was held on 6/12/10 to assist FOLKS members to fill out the forms to document piers existing before 2/6/04.  Piers not conforming to the new regulations can be grandfathered to maintain them as is.

 

 

Strategic Planning Committee

The goal of the Strategic Planning Committee is to stay aware of the interests and concerns of our members.  We conduct an annual survey and after careful analysis of the responses we modify our strategic direction if necessary.  We also use the survey responses to  monitor the level of satisfaction our members have with the various FOLKS activities, such as our Newsletter, Lake Alerts, Educational Sessions, Committee work, etc.

A survey was sent to all members with e-mail addresses on file to gauge the interest in FOLKS activities.  A form that could be mailed was included in the September newsletter.

 

 

FOLKS Lake Level and Flow Rate Subcommittee

 

The water flow in the Yahara River between Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa was monitored to determine if there are one or more natural or manmade features in the Yahara River flow path between the two lakes that are seriously restricting the flow of water from Lake Waubesa into Lake Kegonsa.

The study was completed and the results presented at the annual meeting.  A summary of those results is as follows:

 

 

Water Quality Committee

 

The mission of the Water Quality Committee of FOLKS is to engage in activities that directly improve the water quality of Lake Kegonsa and to support quality projects for the Yahara Chain of Lakes.

 

Stoughton Sanitary District, Dane County Soil Conservation, NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), WDNR and the USDA developed a solution to prevent run-off from agricultural land from entering Lake Kegonsa.  A prairie restoration was placed along HWY B (parallel with the highway) which will flow into a 6.3 acre piece of land that will be taken out of production and replaced with native plants.

 

The Prairie Restoration project was funded by FOLKS, Town of Dunn, and the USDA.

 

A similar project several years ago created a retention pond near Barber Drive.  The reduction of sediment into the lake is an important water quality issue.

 

 

 

Five Fish Cribs Placed on Long Lake

Posted on by david


Five Fish Cribs Placed on Long Lake
by Scott Sandor
Five fish cribs have been constructed by volunteers of the Long Lake Fishing Club and have been put on the ice this winter.  This is a multi-year project where a total of twenty five fish cribs will be constructed and deployed on the lake (Ten are planned for the next two years). 

The LLFC board approved the project this past summer.  Discussions with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) began shortly thereafter which included the WDNR representatives taking a pontoon tour.  The tour included the proposed locations of the new cribs.  Measurements were taken by board members Charlie Benson, John Hrovat, Matt Kissinger, John Koerble and Brian Ebert.A big thank you goes out to Brian Ebert.  Brian was instrumental in the construction of the cribs.  He went out on his property, cut the wood, searched and gathered the necessary materials needed to build the first five fish cribs and collected the needed Christmas trees to fill the cribs.  Thank you Brian!  Kudos also goes out to Matt Kissinger for constructing the jig to drill the perfectly aligned holes for easy construction.

The first five fish cribs have been placed on the ice in March.  Again thanks to all the LLFC directors and volunteers who made this project happen:  Don Enders, Charlie Benson, John Hrovat, Brian Ebert, Matt Kissinger, Tom Flasch, Boyd Stoffel, Jason Sarauer, Doug Staege and Roger Kahut.

 

Fish Cribs 101

Posted on by david

Fish Cribs 101 – Reprint from Ripples

JUNE 22, 2010
by crescentlakewi

Fish Cribs 101

By Bob Young – OCLRA Director

Attend some northern Wisconsin lake association meetings and you‘ll probably run into this before long: …let‘s put in some fish cribs so we can catch more fish?, or …the fishing has really gone downhill, let‘s put in some cribs to boost the fish population?.

If it‘s a clear water lake, you may get some folks who object to the prospect of seeing a man-made structure while they‘re out kayaking on a calm evening. But on most lakes there are some who are convinced it will turn the lake around, back to the great fishing spot it was when they fished it as a kid they‘ve already assembled a work crew, lined up materials, and have a funding proposal drafted for the group to vote on.

Row of fish cribs along a shoreline.

But just what is a fish crib, and what can it do for your lake? Before we can answer that question we need to step back a bit and also consider some other types of fish habitat structures, and the role they play in a lake‘s ecosystem.

All the commonly used fish habitat structures fish cribs, tree drops, brush bundles, half-logs, or even Christmas trees, involve replacing woody habitat to lakes that are often wood -starved. Ever visit a small backwoods lake with no development, and paddle around the shoreline? What strikes you immediately is the large number of downed trees, logs and branches you can see in the shallow waters. Larger, usually older logs are lying in deeper water that you can‘t see.

All of that wood provides food and cover for wood consuming organisms and fish of all sizes and species during some stage of their life. It‘s what lakes do – provide food and cover, aka habitat, for their natural residents.

Contrast that with your own lake. Do you see many downed trees, branches and logs lying in the shallow water? If not, it‘s like many other developed lakes here in northern Wisconsin. For a long time now, trees have either been removed from lake shorelines or pulled from shallow waters. They are wood-starved.

Which brings us back to fish cribs and the other man-made habitat structures. Fish cribs at- tract fish, no doubt about it. When the crib locations are well known, they increase fish harvest. Great for the knowledgeable angler, as long as the harvest is sustainable over time. It‘s still being debated by fisheries biologists whether cribs can actually increase overall fish numbers.

Yet many biologists believe that if installed properly, fish cribs can provide some benefit to lakes. First, consider the real need for cribs in your lake — they are best placed in lakes that don‘t have much natural woody habitat or vegetation. On the other end of the spectrum, lakes with an overabundance of vegetation often have a stunted panfish population — in this case adding cribs adds to the problem by providing even more places for overabundant panfish to hide from predators.

Some other guidelines to keep in mind if you‘re planning a crib project:

Plan to eventually install large numbers of cribs to spread out angling pressure. If you don‘t, your fish crib project may actually work against your goal of improving fishing.

Create effective habitat by weaving the maximum amount of brush into each structure.

Follow WDNR guidelines and rules for installing fish cribs found athttp://dnr.wi.gov/ waterways/checklists/checklist_fishcrib.pdf. Primary among them is the requirement to use natural materials (wood). No plastic or metal here, except for fasteners.

Now, what about tree drops, brush bundles and half-logs, or even Christmas trees? They are all forms of woody habitat structures, like fish cribs. Brush bundles and Christmas trees are not often used anymore, primarily because they rot away quickly, and they‘re difficult to anchor. When they break loose they can become a boating hazard or general nuisance.

That leaves the gold standards of fish habitat structures, tree drops and half-logs. Half-logs are thick planks supported on each end by a concrete block. Easy to build and relatively easy to place in shallow water, at least compared to a fish crib. And they work. In bass lakes without much natural woody cover, they are heavily used by spawning bass, especially small- mouths. Again, you must follow WDNR regulations, found at http://dnr.wi.gov/waterways/ checklists checklist_halflogs_old.pdf.

Consider tree drops. The term itself, tree drop, is self explanatory. Trees have been dropping naturally into our lakes since the glaciers receded. And until about a hundred years ago, they stayed where they dropped, providing excellent critter habitat. A man-made? tree drop is just that you cut or place a tree so that its butt end is on shore, with the rest extending out into the lake. It‘s secured with a cable to keep it in place.

It quickly becomes colonized with invertebrate life, which in turn attracts all sorts of fish and water lov- ing animals. Each year after the ice leaves, you‘ll see a procession of different fish species use the same tree for spawning and cover, but at different intervals. By the time summer gets here, the results of their spawning efforts – lots of little fish – are seeking shelter in the branches. Imagine that, just like Ma Nature, and it was man-made?. Once again, follow the rules you find at http:// dnr.wi.gov/waterways/checklists/checklist_treedrop.pdf.

One other bit of advice for the habitat minded – before you even start to plan your project, talk with your local fisheries biologist. They can help you decide what, if any, habitat projects are appropriate for your lake, and give advice along the way.

 

How to Build Fish Cribs for Habitat

Posted on by david

How to Build Fish Cribs for Habitat
The approximate cost of a crib is about $10.00 each, and now there is a new way to help purchase cribs for Lake Chippewa Flowage. In the summer of 2002 friends of the flowage will have the opportunity to purchase $10.00 raffle tickets. A drawing will be held in October and the lucky winners will be able to schedule a free day with a local fishing guide for 2003.
The Chippewa Flowage was created over 75 years ago. In those 75 years many trees and stumps that harbored food and shelter for fish have disappeared through natural decay. Realizing the structure must be replaced for a healthy fishery, the Lake Chippewa Resort Association, along with the Chippewa Flowage Area Property Owners Association started building and placing fish cribs in Flowage waters. Since March 1996 over 2500 cribs have been built and placed by volunteers from these associations. Building Cribs:

The first step is to accumulate wooden pallets. Pallets are donated by various companies in Wisconsin and trucked to the flowage at our expense. Cinderblock, clips and strapping must be purchased to build cribs. Cribs are constructed by layering pallets separated by cinderblocks on each comer until it is 3 or 4 pallets deep. Then the “sandwich” is strapped together. At this point the cribs are loaded by tractor-forklifts onto special pontoon boats that have been totally stripped down to just bare decks. Workers then turn the pallet/cribs on edge to stuff in brush. It takes a lot of brush to fill each crib. Accumulating brush and stuffing the cribs is actually one of the hardest parts of the job. Finally , when the pontoon is totally loaded, the captain and workers shove off and the cribs are dropped off into new crib locations.

Meanwhile other volunteers are cooking and serving food and beverages to the hungry workers. A master map is kept by the associations, but not published. After all, the cribs are for the fish, not the fishermen!

Crib building is an on-going project. Members of both associations are committed to preserving and enhancing this great fishery for current and future generations. If you are interested in supporting this effort, look for Crib Program Raffle Tickets on your next visit or mail donations to: CFAPOE Adopt-a-Crib P.O. Box 555 Hayward, WI 54843-0555

Calif. agencies to sue over sucker fish habitat

Posted on by david

Calif. agencies to sue over sucker fish habitat

By: GILLIAN FLACCUS 04/12/11 1:51 PM
Associated Press

Twelve Southern California water agencies have notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that they plan to sue to block expanded sucker fish habitat that could crimp water supplies for people, the agencies said Tuesday.

The action was prompted by a ruling, which went into effect in January and added 1,026 acres to the fish’s habitat, bringing the total protected area to more than 10,000 acres. The federal agency expanded the habitat for the small brown-and-black mottled fish after an environmental organization sued in 2005, alleging the fish was not protected in its namesake river, the Santa Ana River.

The legal notice, filed Monday, gives the federal agency 60 days to respond before a lawsuit is filed.

Jane Hendron, a spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Carlsbad office, did not immediately return a call or e-mail seeking comment.

The habitat designation does not mean any human water supplies will be shut off or altered, but it does mean that local water districts and cities must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service before doing work on any new or existing water projects with any federal involvement and could face stricter limits on what they can do.

The expanded habitat includes upstream areas that have no sucker fish living in them now — and that sometimes dry up entirely because those areas hold the gravel that is critical for the fish’s survival, said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with Center for Biological Diversity, the group that sued in 2005. That gravel needs to be washed downstream to help the fish, she said.

“The whole reason is to identify areas that may not have any animals in them anymore, but historically did. The critical habitat looks at recovery opportunities as well, rather than just keeping them on life support,” Anderson said of the fish.

The water agencies that filed the notice said Tuesday they were most concerned that they would be required to use water that currently goes to residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to push gravel downstream to areas where the creatures reproduce.

That could mean diverting water that could supply more than 500,000 people and impact the water supply for about 3 million residents who live downstream, said Douglas Headrick, general manager of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District’s sucker fish task force.

“The only way to move the gravel is with water. What we’re concerned about is that someone will require us to use the water that we’ve been diverting to move gravel. We don’t know any other way,” he said.

The Santa Ana sucker fish is listed as a federally threatened species with known populations in areas of Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties.

The fish in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, in the Santa Clara River, have interbred with other types of sucker fish, however, and are not included in the critical habitat listing because they are not considered genetically pure, Anderson said.

The critical habitat now includes portions of the Santa Ana river in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties and the San Gabriel River and Big Tujunga Creek in Los Angeles County.

The 12 agencies who are objecting to the final ruling on the habitat have planned or current projects or activities that will be affected by the inclusion of the Santa Ana River in the protected area, according to the 60-day notice paperwork. Included are water districts in Big Bear, San Bernardino, Riverside, Yucaipa and others, as well as the city of Redlands.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/04/calif-agencies-sue-over-sucker-fish-habitat#ixzz1KBj6L3I7

 

Volunteer workers improve fish habitat in Lake Hamilton

Posted on by david

Columnist | Joe Mosby
Volunteer workers improve fish habitat in Lake Hamilton
Posted on 05 March 2011
By Joe Mosby
The old lament of “why don’t they do something about the fishing in this lake?” is getting an answer in several Arkansas bodies of water.
The “they” is a combination of federal agencies, state agencies and — the key ingredient — private citizens who volunteer their money and labor.
One strong example is Lake Hamilton, the heavily used impoundment on the Ouachita River at the doorstep of Hot Springs. Fish habitat structures are being fabricated and sunk in appropriate places in the lake.
“Build it, and they will come” has been proven any number of times in Arkansas waters. The Lake Hamilton project, which will go on for several years, is moving ahead under guidance of fishing veterans Ricky Green and Darryl Morris. They have a contingent of other volunteers working with them and with the help of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Brett Hobbs, a fisheries biologist with the Game and Fish Commission, said volunteers are also doing much of the habitat work on DeGray Lake and Lake Greeson.
Green, formerly of nearby Arkadelphia, was one of the top professional bass tournament competitors in the 1970s and 1980s. Morris operates Family Fishing Trips, a guide service focusing on crappie fishing, on Lake Hamilton.
Morris said, “We are making two types of cover with bamboo. One is 10 to 12 feet tall that we call a ‘condo,’ and one is 5 to 6 feet tall that we call a ‘casa.’ There are other types available upon request by donors.”
The components are a plastic drain pipe with holes drilled in it, cane or bamboo and a 5-gallon bucket that is filled with concrete to hold the rig in place underwater.
Lake Hamilton is an old lake, built in the early 1930s by Arkansas Power & Light Co. for power generation. All of its natural cover is gone, Morris said, and the structures being installed will partly restore cover.
Morris said, “The fish structures benefit bass, crappie, bream and baitfish. They will support the entire life cycle of the fish. The density of these habitats provides ample protection for fish fry and bait fish. Algae growing on (the structures) provide food for fry and baitfish. This reduces the mortality rate and increases recruitment of the fry and baitfish which in term increases the number of catchable bass, crappie and bream.”
The structures are not marked, Morris said, “but are put in strategic locations like coves and points where they will be easy to find with a sonar unit” (depth finder).
The bamboo-and-bucket structure has been used for several years with success on Lake Greeson, where Morris worked with fellow crappie guide Jerry Blake in putting numerous structures into that lake. The encouraging crappie catches on Greeson have become known around Arkansas fishing circles.
Morris said about the Lake Hamilton project, “This will be an ongoing project. We hope to do 200 or more per year. After about five years it will become a maintenance program to keep the cover in the lake.
Help is needed.
Materials for the fish structures cost money even if the bamboo or cane is free except for the labor in cutting and transporting it. Green and Morris have several volunteer workers to assemble the structures and move them by boat to the desired locations. But they can use more willing hands.
Money donated by cash, check or credit card goes into a 3-to-1 match of federal and state funds for sport-fisheries restoration.
Morris can be contacted by e-mail at captdarryl@familyfishingtrips.com. A website, www.lakehamiltonhabitat.org, has more information.

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