“Dam Cam” to Capture Removal of New Hampshire’s Merrimack Village Dam
August 11, 2008
For more than 270 years, the Merrimack Village Dam helped power saw mills, gristmills, a shoe factory and provided water for a chemical factory. No longer powering industry and scheduled for demolition, the dam has one last role to play — that of movie star. Beginning this week, NOAA, in partnership with the Conservation Law Foundation, will capture live on camera the removal of the dam, opening up 14 miles of the Souhegan River from Milford to Merrimack, N.H., providing extensive habitat for river herring, Atlantic salmon, American shad and American eel.
“Merrimack residents and people around the world can go online and watch
the river as it transforms back to its natural free-flowing state,” said Eric Hutchins of the NOAA Restoration Center. “From your laptop at home, you’ll see years of planning and preparations come to life, and watch the river repair itself.”
With NOAA’s first-ever “dam cam,” viewers will see backhoes and bulldozers take down the dam’s concrete wall and restore the flow of the Souhegan River, a major tributary to the Merrimack River. Photos of the removal will be captured every 10 minutes, with a time-lapse film starting this week through August 30. After the dam removal is complete, the camera will continue to capture footage for five months as the river continues to restore itself. The feed can be found at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/.
NOAA has contributed more than $260,000 to the dam removal project over several years. The removal of Merrimack Village Dam is one of NOAA’s largest projects under its Open Rivers Initiative, a national effort to restore the historic river habitat of migratory fish and other species that travel between ocean-coastal and upstream freshwater areas. Projects include removing derelict dams, culverts and other river barriers. Through the Open Rivers Initiative, NOAA outlines specific consensus steps developed by expert scientists, engineers, biologists and members of the local public, working together.
The Merrimack Village Dam was one of a series of dams built on the Souhegan River in the 1730s to power industry. It now presents a public safety hazard and a liability for its owner.
The dam’s removal will also open an excellent stretch of class II whitewater for canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.
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DNREC to Host July 7 Public Hearing on Proposed Revisions to Shad and River Herring Management Plan
June 17, 2008
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, will host a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 7 in the DNREC auditorium, Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, regarding proposed revisions to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has developed a public information document (PID) as the first step to drafting an amendment in response to the findings of the 2007 benchmark stock assessment for American shad, which indicates that American shad stocks are currently at all-time lows and do not appear to be recovering.
Specific issues addressed are: (1) incorporating the biological reference points and stock restoration goals identified in the 2007 benchmark stock assessment; (2) not increasing directed fisheries for American shad; and (3) restricting fisheries operating on stocks where total mortality is increasing and relative abundance is decreasing. The PID has been developed to address these issues by seeking public comment on the restoration of American shad fisheries and American shad fisheries management.
The PID presents a broad overview of the factors affecting American shad, and provides the public with the opportunity to tell the Commission about changes observed in the fishery; things that should or should not be done in terms of management, regulation, enforcement, research, development, and enhancement; and any other concerns about the resource or the fishery. Other coastal states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia will also be holding public hearings on the proposed changes.
Following the initial phase of information-gathering and public comment, the Commission will evaluate potential management alternatives and develop a draft amendment for public review. Following that review and public comment, the Commission will specify the management measures to be included in the final amendment. A tentative schedule for the completion of the amendment is included in PID.
Copies of the PID may be obtained by contacting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission at 202-289-6400 or by visiting its website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News.
Citizens may address comments in writing to Erika Robbins, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, 1444 ‘Eye’ Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005, fax to 202-289-6051, or email to comments [at] asmfc [dot] org, subject line American shad. Public comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, July 25.
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New Jersey “Take Me Fishing” Program
June 8, 2008
The NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has joined forces with the national Take me Fishing campaign which encourages everyone to participate in the leisurely, family-friendly experience of fishing and enhance their appreciation of the natural world.
Over the next year, New Jersey, alongside 29 states nationwide, will participate in an effort to reach out to former and new anglers, and encourage them to buy a license and get out on the water.
For those who are somehow not aware, New Jersey offers endless fishing opportunities. From spring migrations of striped bass and American shad in the Delaware River to bayshores and the Atlantic coastline, there’s something for all anglers. And progressive management and fish culture and stocking programs means a greater of variety of fish are available than ever before.
Waters in Wildlife Management Areas, in state parks and forests, in federal lands and county and municipal parks make fishing nearby for everyone. Many sites have been improved for access by wheelchair, and public boat ramps abound. For those who’ve never tried fishing, or have been away from the sport, two Free Fishing Days in June allow fishing without a license or trout stamp, and a license is never required for saltwater fishing.
Whether it’s surf fishing from the beach, miles of native trout streams, lunker bass lakes or through the ice, New Jersey anglers have some of the widest varieties of fishing opportunities available anywhere. Below are links to other pages to help you get out and see why the fishing in New Jersey has never been better!
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Public Hearing June 17, 2008, on Marine Rule Changes Affecting Lobster Size Limit; Shad and River Herring Management
May 28, 2008
DURHAM, N.H. — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will hold public hearings on proposed marine rule changes to the maximum size limit of lobsters and on Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Public Information Document (PID) for Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring. Both hearings will take place on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at the Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, N.H., on the second floor in the Hilton Garden Meeting Room.
The proposed rule changes under consideration would involve modifying the maximum legal length of lobsters in Management Areas 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to bring New Hampshire into compliance with ASMFC’s Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster.
The Public Information Document and subsequent amendment to the ASMFC’s Shad and River Herring Fisheries Management Plan are being developed in response to the findings of the 2007 benchmark stock assessment for American shad, which indicates that American shad stocks are currently at all-time lows and do not appear to be recovering.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is looking for fishermen and other interested groups to provide input on the PID either through attending a public hearing or by providing written comments by 5 p.m. on July 25, 2008, to Erika Robbins, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, ASMFC, 1444 Eye St, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005. Copies of the document can be obtained by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission’s web site at www.asmfc.org under “Breaking News.”
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The Spring Bite Is On!
May 1, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. - With spring in full bloom, now is the time to get out the rods and reels, purchase a fishing license and head for the nearest body of water to wet a line.
Despite the drought, North Carolina still offers abundant opportunities for anglers eager to cast for their favorite fish - from sunfish in coastal rivers to largemouth bass in Piedmont ponds to brook trout in mountain waters.
However, knowing where to go and what to fish can mean the difference between catching the limit or going home empty-handed.
The premier fishing destination east of I-95 is the Roanoke River. Striped bass are currently making their annual spawning run up the river. Anglers fishing this river are finding that if they put in at the Commission’s boat ramp at Weldon and drift downstream, they’re catching good numbers - and sizes - of stripers. The area between the “big rock” and Troublefield Gut has yielded particularly good results over the last couple of weeks.
A weekly fishing report from Weldon is posted here every Thursday through the end of May.
A good crappie bite has already begun in the Cashie River, and biologists expect largemouth bass and pumpkinseed fishing to be excellent in Lake Phelps.
Fishing for largemouth bass and sunfish in the Tar River around Greenville and in the Neuse River around Fort Barnwell is good this spring. Water levels have come up some with recent rains, and American shad and striped bass have responded to warming temperatures by migrating into the upper Neuse River. Anglers can expect to catch both species from Raleigh to Goldsboro if rivers flows remain high.
- Other fishing spots to try out in eastern North Carolina:
Sutton Lake in New Hanover County offers anglers good catches of big flathead catfish and largemouth bass - Lower Neuse River near New Bern harbors some striped bass, although relatively small in size compared to their Roanoke River cousins
- Lake Waccamaw provides good fishing for white and yellow perch, black crappie, redear sunfish, pumpkinseed and largemouth bass.
The Cape Fear River provides good fishing for largemouth bass, sunfish and catfish. Spring is the peak season for catching largemouth bass in the river. Largemouths up to 8 pounds have been caught in the river but usually average between 1 1/2 to 3 pounds. Bass can also be caught around the mouths of some of the larger tributary creeks (Turnbull Creek, Hammonds Creek, Sturgeon Creek, Livingston Creek, upper reaches of Town Creek), just before or after a light rain.
During the spring spawning season, anglers catch abundant numbers of bluegill below the lock and dams on the Cape Fear using red worms, crickets and night crawlers. The Cape Fear also harbors sizeable populations of channel, blue and flathead catfish, particularly from Lillington to the mouth of the Black River. These fish are classified as a non-game fish in inland waters, with no size or creel restrictions regarding harvest, except in Community Fishing Program lakes. April, May, September and October are the best months for catfishing.
Jordan Lake, in the Piedmont, is fished heavily for a reason - it harbors excellent black crappie, largemouth bass, striped bass fisheries and a good channel catfish fishery. Excellent largemouth bass fisheries can also be found in smaller lakes, such as Lake Lucas in Asheboro, Lake Devin in Oxford, and Brandt and Townsend lakes in Greensboro.
The Eno River near Durham has some nice-sized Roanoke bass while Lake Gaston supports a multi-species fishery consisting of largemouth bass, striped bass, black crappie, white crappie, various sunfish (panfish) species, channel catfish, blue catfish, white catfish, bullheads, white and yellow perch, and walleye.
Lake Gaston rarely fluctuates more than ½ foot and all of the boat ramps are usable. Most of Lake Gaston is in North Carolina, although some is in Virginia. The Commission has a reciprocal license agreement with Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Crappie fishing on High Rock Lake is getting better by the day and the largemouth bass fishing has really picked up. Badin Lake has some good blue catfish that are biting and also the striped bass fishing should be picking up as well.
Despite ongoing drought conditions, anglers should find that fishing in the many streams and rivers of the mountain region will be comparable to previous years. Trout fishing should be prime as the warming waters accelerate the metabolism of wild trout, leading to more frequent strikes. In addition, all hatchery-supported and delayed-harvest trout streams have been recently stocked by the Commission, and many will receive additional fish through early June. Check the North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest and the Commission trout maps for a complete listing and locations.
For weekly trout stocking summaries, click here. Note that stocking information appears online for only seven days, and updates are posted only after fish are stocked
Smallmouth in the Little Tennessee, Nolichucky, and New Rivers should be on the bite, as well as smallmouth and spotted bass in the Yadkin River. The Commission Web site (link at bottom of story) provides detailed information on boat/canoe access and the fish species present in our major rivers. Also, be sure and give fishing a try on one of the numerous small coolwater rivers and streams in the mountains and foothills. The Roaring, Mitchell, and Dan rivers are just a few that contain good populations of smallmouth, rock bass, and redbreast sunfish. These smaller rivers often receive limited pressure, and sometimes the fishing can be pleasantly surprising.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing on Fontana remains excellent, and anglers targeting largemouth bass should continue to expect quality-sized fish on Lake Rhodhiss and Lake Hickory. In addition, the Commission annually stocks Rhodhiss and Hickory with fingerling striped bass. Although crappie are moving back out to deeper water after spawning, the bluegill beds should start up soon on practically all of the mountain and foothill lakes. Most of the bluegill are small, but they can be great a way to get a child hooked on fishing and the fish aren’t bad in the frying pan either - so don’t forget your popping bugs!
If catfishing is your thing, then try out the Yadkin River between W. Kerr Scott reservoir and Idols Dam for bullhead catfish (the numbers are astounding), or fish for flathead catfish below Idols Dam. Both Lake Rhodhiss and Hickory are also good spots for bullhead catfish, as well as channel catfish.
- Anglers who want to cast a line this spring can purchase a fishing license by:
Calling the Wildlife Resources Commission at 1 (888) 248-6834. Hours of operation are: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday (from May through September, Monday-Sunday); - Clicking here;
- Visiting a local Wildlife Service Agent. Most are located in bait-and-tackle shops, hunting and sporting good stores and larger chain stores.
For more information on fishing in public, inland waters, visit the fishing page, or call the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 707-0220.
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More Than 500,000 Shad Larvae Released into Brandywine Creek for Restoration Effort
May 1, 2008
Late Tuesday evening, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife released more than 500,000 hickory shad larvae or “fry” into the lower Brandywine Creek as part of an ongoing effort to restore a once-abundant species.
“There was no time to even announce the stocking,” said Craig Shirey, a Fisheries program manager for the Division. “We received a call from hatchery personnel with the State of Maryland DNR Fisheries that they had a good batch of fry that needed to be stocked, and asked if we were interested. We jumped at the opportunity!”
From historical accounts, shad were once abundant throughout the Brandywine but the construction of dams has blocked fish from reaching their normal spawning grounds. Within Delaware’s 12-mile section of the river, there are 11 dams.
“This is just part of what is needed to restore both species of shad and other anadromous fish to the Brandywine. You have to give the fish the right amount of habitat and you need a sufficient number of spawning adults to create juveniles that will ‘imprint’ on the stream and return when they mature,” Shirey said.
A partnership of federal, state, city, non-governmental organizations and private industry has formed in an effort to restore these important species to the Brandywine. Restoration activities will include dam removal, opening up existing dam breaches, fish ladders and other fish passage options.
Dam removal is the only certain way to allow for both stream habitat restoration and complete fish passage. With every dam left in place, the chances of a successful restoration effort become less and less. Some streams have had successful restoration programs with one or two dams, none with more than three.
“We have reports of both American shad and hickory shad being caught by anglers in the lower Brandywine but without more spawning habitat we don’t think the population will ever be significant. The clock is ticking,” Shirey said.
Hickory shad are a slightly smaller cousin to the more popular American shad. They reach about 3 pounds in weight and are becoming increasingly popular as sport fish. This stocking follows on the heels of some American shad larvae that were stocked in 2007.
The Maryland hatchery system collects spawning adults in the lower Susquehanna River and transports them to their facility on the western shore. After the eggs hatch, the larvae are briefly immersed into a treated tank to receive a tetracycline mark. The mark appears on bony structures of the fish which they will carry for the rest of their lives.
Researchers can examine the otoliths, or “ear bones,” from shad in the future and tell if they were hatchery-reared or from natural spawning. This particular batch of larvae were several days old and about to run out of food supplied by their yolk sac. They needed to be either fed something like brine shrimp or released into the wild to feed on their own.
“Right now they don’t look like much - sort of like a half-inch piece of hair with eyeballs. But they grow quickly and by the end of the summer they will be about 5 inches long,” Shirey added. “And when these shad fry mature in three to five years and come back to the Brandywine, hopefully they will be able to move upstream and spawn.”
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