Fishing News

SuperUser Account — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:11:47 GMT

NORTHERN SNAKEHEADS ARE INVADING ARKANSAS' WHITE RIVERWhite River, Arkansas- Could the White River in Arkansas become a conduit for moving the invasive snakehead fish into the Mississippi River? The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission hopes not. A massive eradication effort is taking place on Piney Creek, where the fish were found last spring. The treatment will include 24,000 pounds of powdered fishing-killing chemical called rotenone. The Piney Creek watershed is connected to the White River, which is also connected to the Mississippi River. The Missouri Department of Conservation is also raising red flags after the Arkansas discovery, putting its state anglers on alert to look for snakeheads in Missouri waters.A UNIQUE RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR OLD FISHING GEARNewport, Rhode Island- A unique program is turning derelict ocean fishing gear into electricity. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has teamed with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Covanta Energy Company and Schnitzer Steel Industries to collect old fishing equipment, shred it and convert it to electricity. "Fishing for Energy" has converted 80,000 pounds of fishing nets, trawl gear, crab pots and fishing line into electricity since last February. The project has been focused in Newport, which hosts one of the largest fishing fleets in Rhode Island.IMPACT OF HURRICANE IKE ON FISH POPULATIONSFlorida- The recent hurricane season in the Gulf Coast, which included Hurricane Ike, caused enormous damage to fishing infrastructure in Texas and numerous fishkills in central Florida. Crappie, bass and other warm-water species died from lack of dissolved oxygen in Florida's St. Johns River, the Withlacoochee River and several lakes, Florida officials said. Around Galveston Bay, Hurricane Ike wiped out bait houses, boat ramps, marinas and, of course, fishing boats. But early gill net sampling season showed there were still good numbers of recreationally important fish in the Galveston Bay system, just three days after Ike, Texas officials said. Future sampling will determine the long-term impact on adult fish populations.NEW PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE RESERVOIR BASS POPULATIONSNational Fish Habitat Action Plan- A new national partnership promises to improve bass and panfish habitat in the nation's manmade reservoirs. The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership was formed to address the declining habitat in reservoirs, and it includes prominent state fisheries agencies in Texas and Virginia, fishing industry officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The group wants to tackle reservoir problems such as sedimentation, invasive species and shoreline development. The group BASS recently pledged $15,000 to the organization, which is under the umbrella of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. On the Web: www.fishhabitat.org.

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