DNREC to Host July 7 Public Hearing on Proposed Revisions to Shad and River Herring Management Plan

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@asmfc.org, subject line American shad. Public comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, July 25.

DNR, Corps monitoring high hazard dams

The Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have paired up this week to check privately owned high hazard dams in 20 flood-affected counties of southern Indiana.

Significant progress has been made in evaluating the dams and determining if any emergency steps need to be taken. A dozen two-person teams have been at work in Bartholomew, Brown, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Greene, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Ripley, Sullivan, Vigo and Wayne counties.

The following general information is designed to answer most questions about dams and the regulation process in Indiana.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Exactly what is a dam?
A dam is a man-made barrier constructed for the purpose of storing or diverting water. It usually is built across a stream or river and usually consists of earthen materials or concrete. Many of the existing dams in Indiana are relatively old (30 years or more), making safety inspections and regular maintenance extremely important practices.

Who is responsible for keeping a dam safe?
The Indiana General Assembly has established dam safety laws to protect the citizens of the state. Generally, the laws are intended to ensure the dam owner maintains his/her dam in a safe manner that minimizes potential safety risks downstream to lives and property. Since dam owners can be held accountable for any damage that results from the failure of their dams, they should do whatever is necessary to avoid injuring persons or property.

Who makes sure dam owners are doing what’s required?
The Department of Natural Resources has the statutory authority to regulate dams in Indiana. The DNR oversees the inspections of about 1,100 dams statewide.

Are all dams the same?
No. The DNR regulates dams that meet one of three criteria - the drainage area above the dam is greater than 1 square mile; the dam embankment is greater than 20 feet high; or the dam impounds more than 100-acre feet of water.

These dams fall into three “hazard” categories - low, significant, and high.  “Hazard” refers to the level of damage downstream if a dam fails. There are about 600 low hazard dams in Indiana, about 250 in the significant category, and about 250 in the high category.

What’s the difference between “high” and “low” hazard?
A high hazard structure is one in which its failure may cause the loss of life and serious damage to homes, industrial and commercial buildings, public utilities, major highways, or railroads.

Failure of a significant hazard structure may damage isolated homes and highways, or cause temporary interruption of public utility services.

Failure of a low hazard structure may result in damage to farm buildings, agricultural land, or local roads.

How often are dams inspected?
State law requires a DNR inspection of low hazard dams once every five years, and once every three years for significant hazard dams. When it comes to high hazard dams, state law requires the owner of the dam to have an inspection by a licensed professional once every two years.

What happens in a dam inspection?
Actually, it’s rather complex. A responsible dam safety program should include four types of inspections - formal technical inspections, maintenance inspections, informal inspections, and special inspections. A formal technical inspection is the most comprehensive and usually includes review and analysis of available data and plans, a field examination, and a final report. The field exam is performed by a team of one or more professional engineers, geologists or qualified technicians, accompanied by the dam owner or his/her representative. Depending on the type of dam, a field exam can take 2 to 3 days for a team of experts to complete and may cost the owner $2,500 to $4,000.

Does a dam inspection guarantee the dam is safe?
Absolutely not. An inspection is only a snapshot of the dam’s relative safety status at that time while providing the owner with information on necessary repairs. Year-round vigilance by the owner using informal inspections coupled with special inspections and proper maintenance practices are far better tools for ensuring the long-term integrity of a dam.

What about levees? Are they handled the same as dams?
It depends on the type of levee. Some levees are designed and built for flood control. Others are agricultural structures not meant for the same sort of flood control but instead designed to divert water from crop fields, or to prevent topsoil erosion in the event of high water. Flood control levees are inspected. Agricultural levees are not.

So, with the recent floods, what’s the status of dams in impacted areas?
Personnel from two DNR divisions - Water and Reclamation - have teamed up with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to form two-person teams that are performing damage assessment of approximately 100 high hazard dams in 21 southern Indiana counties. It is important to note these are not dam inspections in the truest sense, but rather spot checks to evaluate visible damage and determine if there is any immediate danger.

Ruffed Grouse populations continue slow rise

MADISON – Each year since 1964, state biologists, foresters, wardens, federal foresters and members of the Ruffed Grouse Society have driven survey routes stopping to listen at predetermined locations for the unmistakable sound of drumming ruffed grouse. These drumming counts and observational data on breeding success are used to estimate grouse population changes and season outlooks

Statewide the ruffed grouse population increased about 7 percent between 2007 and 2008,” said Scott Hull, upland game biologist with the Department of Natural Resources.

“The northern and southeast regions showed the greatest increase in drumming activity over last year, with 12 percent and 33 percent increases, respectively,” says Hull. “The central region showed a slight decrease of 3 percent and the southwest region showed a decline of 20 percent fewer drums than in 2007.”

Ruffed grouse drumming surveys are divided into four regions around the state. A map of the regions can viewed on the ruffed grouse page of the DNR Web site.

Biologists note that while the 7 percent statewide increase over last year supports the idea that the population is growing, the change is statistically not significant and may be due to random chance.

“These are great survey results and I’m very optimistic that we’ll have a great grouse season in 2008,” said Hull.

More birds generally lead to more hunting days in the field and higher success rates, say wildlife managers. During the 2007-08 grouse season, about 101,000 hunters reported spending 826,000 days in the field hunting grouse.

“Hunters reported harvesting roughly 482,000 grouse in 2007,” said Hull. “At the time of the last population peak, back in 1999, they reported taking about 768,000.”

“For reasons not well understood, grouse populations fluctuate on a roughly 8- to 10-year cycle. Wisconsin’s population has been on the upswing for about the past three or four seasons, and that is welcome news for grouse hunters and folks who enjoy hearing the drumming in the woods.”

Ruffed grouse are one of Wisconsin’s most popular upland game birds. The characteristic ‘drumming’ noise is readily recognized and is produced by males during the spring breeding season. The male grouse will stand on drumming logs and rapidly beat their wings with the intention of attracting a female grouse.

Dates for the 2008 Ruffed Grouse hunting seasons are: Zone A – Sept. 13 – Jan. 31, 2009 and Zone B – Oct. 18 – Dec. 8. Additional information is on the ruffed grouse page of the DNR Web site [dnr.wi.gov].

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Hull - (608) 267-7861

2007 Wisconsin Big Game Hunting Summary Available

MADISON – Summaries of the 2007 deer, black bear and turkey hunting seasons along with breakdowns of firearm related incidents, tribal harvests, CWD zone harvests and turkey harvest by county and zone are now available in the 2007 edition of the Wisconsin Big Game Hunting Summary.

The complete 90-page summary for these species is available in hard copy at most Department of Natural Resources service centers and by request from Jason Fleener, DNR Wildlife Management, WM/6, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707 (608)261-7589 or by e-mail at [jason.fleener@wisconsin.gov]. Reports are also available on the Wisconsin Wildlife surveys page of the DNR Web site.

“It was another great year for hunting in Wisconsin,” said Keith Warnke, DNR’s big game ecologist.

Overall, deer hunters had a top notch year posting the second best total deer harvest at 520,416 deer registered (only 2000 is higher at 618,274) and archers posted their best ever season, registering 116,010 deer.

Hunters will have additional opportunity to harvest antlerless deer and continue progress toward deer population goals during the October antlerless only gun season (Oct. 16-19), which is set to resume after a trial two year moratorium in Herd Control units statewide, except in the Central Forest Deer Management Units (DMUs 53, 54A, 55, 56, and 58), according to Warnke.

“Bear hunters also had great success and deer hunters, with expanded opportunity and a huge herd, did very well,” he said.

Black bear hunters registered 2,797 bears, down slightly from the previous year’s harvest of 3,068 in 2006. The four leading counties for bear harvest were Bayfield (255), Price (233), Sawyer (199) and Rusk (193). The report also tallies the number of nuisance bears captured (756) and relocated.

Hunters experienced a good spring wild turkey season in 2007 registering 52,428 birds for a 25.5 percent success ratio. This was up nearly 6,000 over 2006 (46,662 and 23.2 percent).

Fall Wild turkey harvest was down slightly over 2006. Hunters registered 12,010 turkeys in 2007 for an overall success rate of 14.9 percent compared to 12,108 in 2006 and 15.4 percent.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Fleener - (608) 261-7589

Western Minnesota Walleye Populations Get A Boost

Natural reproduction, combined with an occasional stocking boost by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has turned west-central Minnesota into one of the best walleye fishing areas in the country.

“For years, lakes such as Traverse, Lac qui Parle, Big Stone, and Oliver have provided good catches of walleye, and anglers have come from far and wide to fish them,” according to Norm Haukos, DNR area fisheries manager at Ortonville.

While many of the walleye come from natural reproduction, “which can be very good at times when the weather cooperates,” Haukos said, poor weather conditions or marginal spawning habitat can limit natural reproduction. “Under these conditions the DNR will give “Mother Nature” a boost by stocking walleye.”

DNR Fisheries biologists routinely sample lakes and streams to determine the status of fish populations, including the condition and abundance of walleye, forage availability, and habitat conditions. The data collected is used to determine stocking plans. Depending on conditions, newly hatched walleye fry (¼ inch long), walleye frylings (1 inch long), walleye fingerlings (5 inches long), or adult walleye may be stocked.

Spring walleye stocking in the Ortonville Fisheries Area was recently completed with walleye fry stocked in Artichoke, Big Stone, John, Long, Marsh, Oliver, Perch, and Steep Bank lakes. South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks reared and stocked the fry into Big Stone Lake, a border water.

Fingerling and adult walleye were stocked into Botkers, Hendricks, Long Tom, and Oliver (West) Lakes. These fish were grown in local rearing ponds. Approximately 35 ponds are stocked each spring with walleye fry that are later harvested for stocking as frylings, fingerlings, or adults. Under good conditions the fry will be approximately 5 inches long after one summer.

Several of the rearing ponds will be harvested in June to collect frylings for stocking into Lac qui Parle Lake, Haukos said. “This will be the initial use of frylings to supplement the lake’s walleye population. The frylings will provide a more cost-effective method than stocking larger fingerlings. Unlike Big Stone and Traverse Lakes, fry stocking has not been very successful at Lac qui Parle Lake, and given its large size a cost-effective fingerling stocking strategy is desired.”

Lac Vieux Desert Reservoir Boating Access Site Closes Temporarily for Construction

The Department of Natural Resources announced today that the Lac Vieux Desert Reservoir Boating Access Site in the Upper Peninsula’s Gogebic County will be closed for construction beginning June 16.

The construction upgrade will include dredging the boat launch area and installing a new 36-foot wide by 70-foot long concrete ramp, and a new five-foot by 30-foot courtesy pier. The current ramp is in poor condition and deteriorating.

Funds for this project were awarded through a grant from the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company and the Michigan State Waterways Fund.

Construction is scheduled to be complete on June 27.

Until repairs are complete, boaters and anglers can access the lake from a fee site in Indian Village on the northeast side of the lake. There are also two launches in Wisconsin. One launch is in the National Forest Campground, and the other is the Thunder Bay launch on the far southeast side of the lake.

For more information, contact the Baraga Field Office and Baraga State Park Supervisor Dan Dowdy at 906-353-6558.

Free Fishing Weekend Great Time to “Take A Kid Fishing”

MADISON – It’s the perfect break from spring yard work and better yet, it’s free.

“Fishing is free in Wisconsin on June 7 and 8 and there’s no better time nor place to take yourself, your kids, your friends or just yourself out on the water to cast a few,” says Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matthew Frank.

Residents and non-residents of all ages can fish without a fishing license or trout or salmon stamps during that weekend. All the waters of the state are open, including state waters of the Great Lakes and rivers bordering Wisconsin. All other regulations such as length and bag limits do apply.

People can enjoy one of the many fishing clinics scheduled during Free Fishing Weekend to get started in the sport. Many of those events provide people with fishing equipment to use; the DNR’s tackle loaner program also lets people borrow fishing gear to use from more than 50 different locations around the state.

For those who have their own gear to share with a novice angler, DNR Aquatic Educator Theresa Stabo provides her top ten list for maximizing the fun. While originally developed with kids in mind, these 10 tips work well with first-timers of all ages.
Location, location, location
Check out our list of good places to take first-timers fishing. Many of them offer opportunities to fish from shore, they feature restrooms and other facilities, and the waters boast lots of hungry fish for faster fishing action.

Simple gear
Cane poles and closed-face reels are good choices. Barbless hooks make it easier to release fish and avoid injuries to fish and angler alike.

Tackle
A small box can hold a few small hooks, a couple of bobbers and a few sinkers. That’s all they need to get started.

Bait
Worms are good to use. Encourage, but don’t force them, to bait their own hooks. Let them practice with plastic worms; eventually, they’ll get used to the idea of doing it themselves.

Fun
Keep the focus here, especially with children. If the fish aren’t biting, don’t keep them chained to their fishing poles or held hostage in a boat. On shore, let them set the poles down and take a break. If you’re fishing from a boat and it’s hot, reel in, and go for a swim, assuring that kids’ life preservers are on securely.

Patience
Keep the outing short, accept that they may not keep quiet and they probably will get a few tangles.

Safety
Check for swift or deep water, dams and uneven footing along banks and avoid them. If you’re on a boat, make sure kids are wearing a life jacket and that adults have it on or within easy reach.

Food
Pack a cooler with sandwiches, some cookies, and water.

The two Cs:
camera and cell phone. The camera is to record those memorable moments, the cell phone for safety.

Role model
Use good bait and fish handling behavior that will help protect our resources from disease. Remember to drain all water from your boat and equipment, don’t move live fish between waters and report sick fish to the DNR.

More information and tips on how to take someone fishing – and assure a successful trip so they’ll want to go out a second and third time — can be found online.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Theresa Stabo (608) 266-2272; Rachel Piacenza (608) 261-6431

Permits Needed Before Using Chemicals or Herbicides on Aquatic Vegetation

SPOONER, Wis. — Waterfront owners buying chemicals for weed treatments along and in their shorelines should know they need a Department of Natural Resources permit before using the product. The permit is necessary to insure proper use of the chemical and prevent harm to the lake or stream.

“Aquatic plants are important parts of a lake’s ecosystem – they provide oxygen for the fishery, habitat and water quality,” said Tom Jerow, waters media leader for the DNR’s northern region. “But we recognize that too much of a good thing is a problem and shore owners sometimes need to control plants. We use the permits to make sure that plant treatments are applied at the best times and in the best way to protect the lake.”

A number of advertisements have been placed in the media recently announcing chemicals that “kill weeds.” The ads, however, fail to mention the need for a Department of Natural Resources permit and other important information.

Jerow said that only those chemicals registered with the U.S. EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) can be used on Wisconsin waterways. He added that when controlling aquatic plants with chemicals, it is important to correctly identify the plants and the appropriate chemical beforehand and to be certain that treatment occurs at the proper timing and dosage. To apply chemicals in liquid form, the applicator must be licensed with the DATCP. It is often best to contract with a commercial applicator.

The only time a permit is not required to control aquatic plants is when a shoreline owner hand-pulls or rakes plants, except wild rice, from his/her shoreline. That work can occur in an area that is 30 feet or less in width extending from the shore to open water. Non-native invasive plants (Eurasian water milfoil, curly leaf pondweed, and purple loosestrife) may be manually removed beyond 30 feet without a permit, as long as native plants are not harmed. Wild rice removal always requires a permit and is only allowed in very restricted circumstances after consultation with Tribal Natural Resources Departments.

“Working together to assure good management of aquatic plants, we can maintain the qualities of a waterway that attracted the shoreline owner to the area in the first place,” Jerow said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Jerow - 715-365-8901

Fish Stocking Permits Now Available Online

MADISON — Fishing clubs, lake associations and private pond owners who want to stock fish can now apply online for the permit they’ll need before transferring fish into any water in Wisconsin.

Filling out an online application may allow people to get a permit decision more quickly than if they fill out and mail in a paper form, says Paul Cunningham, the Department of Natural Resources fish biologist who coordinates fish stocking permits.

“We’ll continue to accept and process paper applications, but the online application may allow for quicker review and processing times,” he says.

The online application and a blank, printable application form can be found on DNR’s fisheries pages along with other information about private stocking efforts, including a listing of fish farms where fish may be purchased for stocking.

Hundreds of people apply for fish stocking permits every year. For instance, between June and December 2007, the department received more than 330 applications for fish stocking permits. Walleye was the most popularly species, with nearly one-third requesting to stock this angler favorite, followed by yellow perch.

Applicants who choose to fill out their application online will still need to print out their completed form and mail it in to the DNR, along with a copy of a fish health certificate for each species to be stocked from the fish farm where the fish were purchased, according to Joanna Griffin, DNR fisheries database manager.

“When you contact a fish farm to order fish, ask for a copy of the most recent Fish Health Certificate,” Griffin says. “You’ll need to attach a copy of the certificate to your stocking permit application.

Since January 2002, a fish health certificate from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has been required for all fish stocked in state waterbodies, including private ponds, to avoid spreading fish diseases to new waters.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Cunningham (608) 267-7502; Joanna Griffin (608) 264-8953

NRC Considering Deer Regulation Changes Thursday

The Department of Natural Resources recently recommended three changes to deer regulations relating to buck hunting in the Upper Peninsula, antlerless hunting and to allow the harvest of albino or all-white deer. These regulation changes will be considered at Thursday’s meeting of the Natural Resources Commission in Lansing at the Lansing Center, located at 333 E. Michigan Ave.

Under the UP antler point restrictions proposal, hunters with a combination license would not be allowed to take a buck with less than three antler points on one side with the regular tag, and not less than four antler points on one side with the restricted tag. The restriction for the regular tag would not apply to hunters in the Lower Peninsula. The proposal to impose antler restrictions on both bucks taken with a combination license was submitted to the NRC by Upper Peninsula sportsmen.

“Our survey results indicate that deer hunters are interested in increasing the number of mature bucks in the deer herd,” said DNR Deer Specialist Rod Clute. “This suggestion was proposed as a possible way to decrease the harvest of one and one-half year-old bucks to build a herd with an older age structure.”

Also, the NRC will decide which Deer Management Units will be open to antlerless-deer hunting this fall.

“The DNR has recommended opening private land in Wexford and Lake Counties, which did not allow antlerless deer hunting last year,” Clute said.

Clute added that four counties were open to private land only antlerless licenses last year - Roscommon, Gladwin, Arenac and Clare - are recommended to also have antlerless licenses available on public land this year. In the Upper Peninsula, DMUs 151 and 021, which were open for antlerless deer hunting on private land only last year, are recommended to be closed, while DMU 252, which was open on both private and public land last year is recommended to be restricted to private land only this fall.

Lastly, the DNR has recommended lifting the prohibition against shooting albino or all white deer. Wildlife officials say preventing the harvest of all white deer has resulted in protecting some exotic species, such as fallow deer, that the department does not want to become established in the wild.

For a copy of the agenda, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr. The public may make comments to the NRC starting at 4:30 p.m. at each NRC meeting. 

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