Public Comments Sought on Arizona Fish Stocking Program So It Can Continue to Receive Federal Funding
November 6, 2008
Did you know that the feisty rainbow trout dancing on the end of your fishing line was most likely hatchery raised?
Each year, the Arizona Game and Fish Department stocks more than 3 million fish for anglers to catch in approximately 160 of Arizona’s lakes, rivers and streams - mostly rainbow, Apache, brook, and cutthroat trout, but some warmwater species such as largemouth bass and channel catfish as well.
The stocking program is supported with federal funds through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program, along with state funds from the sale of licenses and trout stamps.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department are seeking public comments on issues associated with all the sport-fish stockings in the state as part of a draft environmental assessment process that is required to continue using federal funding for stocking activities in Arizona.
Public input is being sought to determine the extent and variety of issues that should be addressed by the draft environmental assessment. The comment period continues through 5 p.m. on Dec. 19.
Once the comment period ends, the wildlife agencies will prepare a draft environmental assessment to evaluate the social, economic and environmental effects of stockings related to continue funding for the program through the Sport Fish Restoration Program.
As part of the scoping process, the following three public open houses are being held to answer questions and gather public input on the stocking program issues:
- Pinetop, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17, Arizona Game and Fish Department Region 1 office, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
- Tucson, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 24, Arizona Game and Fish Department Region 5 office, 555 N. Greasewood Road.
- Phoenix, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 25, at Arizona Game and Fish Department Headquarters, 5000 W. Carefree Highway.
“While we will be at the public meetings to provide background information and answer questions, all comments to be formally considered must be made in writing,” said Weedman.
Written comments can be sent to either:
David Weedman, Aquatic Habitat Program Coordinator, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. E-mail:Â fishaz [at] azgfd [dot] gov
.
Harold Namminga, Sport Fish Restoration Grant Administrator, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, P.O Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 87103. E-mail: Harold_Namminga [at] fws [dot] gov.
All comments must be submitted in writing no later than 5 p.m. on Dec. 19.
Weedman pointed out that recreational angling in Arizona totaled 4,156,000 angling days in 2006, creating a statewide economic impact of more than $1.1 billion annually.
Arizona’s natural fish fauna historically consisted of 36 species of fish, only a few of which were traditionally sought by early Americans for sport fishing, which is a trend that continues today.
Since the early 1900s, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and other agencies have supplemented recreational angling opportunities by stocking state waters with sport fish species.
“Fish stockings have evolved over the past 100 years or so to meet growing needs of anglers in Arizona,” Weedman said. “Now we consider a wide range of factors when determining where and when to stock fish, including biology, angler use, partnership commitments and needs, native fish impacts and social demands.”
Although most of the trout species caught in Arizona likely come from fish hatcheries, most of the warmwater species in the state - especially those in the larger impoundments such as Roosevelt Lake - come from natural reproduction.
The federal funding apportioned to Arizona is authorized under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950, commonly referred to as the Dingell-Johnson Act and Wallop-Breaux Act. It provides federal aid to state wildlife agencies for management and restoration of sport fish.
These Sport Fish Restoration funds are derived from a federal excise tax at the manufacturing level on certain items of sport-fishing tackle, fishing equipment and motor boat fuel.
Related posts
Tog Fishing - The Basics
October 31, 2008
Tautog fishing is at its best in the fall. Commonly called “tog”, tautog is one of the most challenging species to pursue while fishing over New Jersey’s Artificial Reefs.
This fall the posession limit increases to six fish a day on November 16 (it is a one fish limit at the time this is being written - see the Marine Digest for current regulations) and they are on the reefs in good numbers.
The following basic techniques will help you land more fish this season.
Boat Placement Over a Reef
Proper boat placement and anchoring is the key to a successful day out tog fishing. Your boat has to be positioned directly over a piece of structure and remain steady. To accomplish this, first locate a piece of structure using DGPS or LORAN C coordinates. Once in the vicinity, circle your boat around the waypoint and watch the depth sounder until you see the structure on the screen. Mark the area with a buoy - it will give you a reference point while you anchor the boat.
After the site is located, kick the boat in neutral and determine your drift. Run up current of the drift and lay two anchors off your bow making a 45 degree angle between them. Finally, let out enough scope to drift back to your reference buoy. This anchoring technique will keep your boat much steadier over the structure than using a single anchor.
Tackle and Rigging
The ideal equipment for tog fishing is a conventional rod and reel. The rod must have a good backbone and be capable of handling a minimum of an 8 ounce sinker. The reel should be spooled with at least 30-pound line and have a low gear ratio to provide enough torque to haul the powerful tog out of its home. Old time pinhookers (commercial rod and reel tog fishermen) would use a 1:1 ratio reel, but that is not necessary.
A good tog rig consists of leader line, two sharp and strong hooks, and a heavy lead sinker. The leader line should consist of at least a 50-pound fluorocarbon and be about 3 to 4 feet long.
The rig can be tied to the main line using a number of different knots, but an Albright knot seems to hold best. Use a perfection loop at the bottom of the rig to attach at least an 8 ounce bank sinker (a heavier bank sinker will be required if conditions are rough). A blood loop dropper knot should be tied about 4 inches above the sinker for the attachment of a snelled hook. This loop attaches to the leader at a right angle, which prevents the snelled hook from tangling.Â
An easy way to snell hooks is to use a 2-foot piece of fluorocarbon and tie a 2/0 to 4/0 hook to one end with a domhof knot. Then do the same to the other end of the fluorocarbon. This leaves you with two hooks, one on either end. Hold the hooks in your hand and double up the line and tie a double overhand loop at the opposite end of the hooks. Take the double overhand loop and run it through the dropper knot on the leader. The snelled hooks should extend about 6-8 inches from the main leader line. This leaves you with a rig that has two hooks lying on the bottom.
The most common bait of choice under most conditions is the green crab; however, sometimes other species of crab works better. For instance hermits, calicos, or fiddler crabs may entice more bites during the warmer months, but Jonahs and rock crabs may be better during the winter. Surf clams and conch can be used, but they generally attract small fish.
 The two hooks are inserted into either a piece of crab or a whole crab. Run the hooks through the knuckles of the crab to prevent the bait from falling off. On days when the bite is good, a whole crab will entice the larger fish to hit.
Feeling the Bite
Tog are one of the most difficult fish to hook. The repetitive tapping when a tog hits causes a lot of people to set the hook too early and miss fish. The key is patience. When tog are lightly tapping they don’t have a good hold of the bait. Be patient, wait until the fish gives a pull, not a tap.
Every day brings a different bite. Sometimes the bite is on and you can’t miss and other times you can barely fill a tug. If the bite is light or non-existent just move to the other side of the boat or let some scope out to adjust your position on the piece of structure. That can make all the difference in the world. Once you feel a good pull, set the hook and crank the reel. Tog have to be hauled out of structure with gusto, otherwise, the fish will hang your rig in structure.
Enjoying Your Catch
One of my favorite ways to prepare this tasty fish is to make chowder. Use any New England clam chowder recipe and substitute cubed tog fillets for clams. Remember, don’t overcook the tog as it may become tough and chewy. Here is the recipe that I prefer most:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 rounded teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 cup of clam juice
1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups of whole milk or light cream
2 medium white-skinned potatoes, peeled and diced
4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
1-2 lbs. of tog filets, cubed
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Chopped chives
Preparation
In a deep pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and bay leaf and cook 2-3 minutes. Whisk in flour and Old Bay and cook 2 more minutes. Whisk in clam juice and broth and combine; cook until broth begins to thicken. Stir in milk slowly. Add potatoes raise heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 12-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add bacon and tog. Cook 2-3 minutes or until tog begins to flake. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives. Enjoy!
Related posts
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Builds Mass Marking Program for Great Lakes Trout and Salmon
October 31, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Midwest Region this October received the first of a series of automated fish tagging trailers - an initial step in the development of a mass marking program that will eventually mark or tag all salmon and trout stocked into U.S. waters of the Great Lakes. Once implemented, this initiative will become the largest coordinated tagging and recovery program ever envisioned for Great Lakes management agencies.
A similar coordinated program is planned by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes program is modeled after a 20-year mass marking program for salmon in the Pacific Northwest.
The centerpiece of this new approach to mass marking is the computer-operated, automated tagging and marking trailer known as the AutoFish System. The system provides an alternative to manual clipping and tagging of fish ready for release to the wild. The AutoFish System is a self-contained mobile unit in a 44-foot aluminum fifth wheel trailer. The system has the capability to rapidly sort by length, clip the adipose fin, and insert coded-wire tags to more than 60,000 salmon and trout per eight-hour day without anesthetic or human handling. The fish are never completely dewatered during the process, thereby reducing stress. Fin clipping rates and tag placement accuracy is superior to that of manual operations and less costly than manual clipping and tagging systems.
The Service is leading this program at the request of state and tribal fishery agencies in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York through the Council of Lake Committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The Service’s Green Bay National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (NFWCO) will provide overall coordination of Basin-wide tagging and marking for 21 state hatcheries, four Service hatcheries and one tribal hatchery that stock salmon and trout. Green Bay NFWCO will also assist partner agencies with project planning, data collection, statistical analysis and laboratory services to extract and read the coded-wire tags from harvested fish.
The estimated cost to implement the mass marking program over a five year period will be around $12 million for equipment and $6 million per year for operational costs. Congress awarded the Service $1.2 million this year to begin the project.
For years the Service has fin-clipped (marked) and/or coded-wire-tagged all of the lake trout stocked into the Great Lakes for the restoration of this species. Recovery of the tagged and marked lake trout helps the Service, state and tribal fisheries agencies evaluate the performance and movement of these fish. Tagging also allows for evaluation of the survival and growth between strains, stocking locations, and sizes at stocking. With the new mass marking initiative, continued evaluation of hatchery fish is now being extended to other salmon and trout species raised by the states and tribes in U.S. waters.
Coded-wire tags are thin pieces of metal wire that are inserted into the snout of fish just prior to stocking and contain a numeric code that is specific to a certain group of fish. All coded-wire tagged fish also receive an adipose fin clip to identify them as having a tag. When fish are recovered from fisheries and assessment activities, they are scanned with a metal detector to locate the tag. The tag is then removed and read. When many recovered tags are analyzed over time, biologists can determine relative survival, movement, growth rates and age of the fish.
To download the implementation plan for the Great Lakes mass marking program, visit http://www.glfc.org/boardcomm/clc/Mass_marking_report_CLC2008.doc
For more information on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, visit http://www.glfc.org/
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov
Related posts
A Universally Accessible Pier is Latest Feature at Westwood Park, NC
October 28, 2008
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. – New pond. New fish. New pier. As part of a multi-phase effort to bring more fishing opportunities to local anglers, the City of Mount Airy, in cooperation with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, recently completed construction of a universally accessible fishing pier on Tumbling Rock Reservoir in Westwood Park.
The 59-foot floating pier is the latest feature at Westwood Park, which is located at 1250 Galax Trail. It has a T-shape section at the end that is 48 feet long and 11 feet wide, easily accommodating several wheelchair-bound anglers. The pier features seven low handrails to make it easier for anglers in wheelchairs and children to cast their lines into the 3-acre pond, which was drained in 2005 and re-filled in September 2007.
Commission personnel stocked the pond last year with 1,350 largemouth bass and bluegill. They also stocked an additional 300 redear sunfish fingerlings this fall to create a self-sustaining fishery.
Biologists expect these young fish to grow to catchable size in two to three years. Anglers, however, will be able to fish for catchable-size channel catfish next summer when the Commission begins stocking catfish through its Community Fishing Program (CFP). The program will begin in July 2009, and 900 catfish will be stocked monthly through October. After 2009, monthly stockings will occur from May through October.
According to Kin Hodges, fisheries biologist with the Commission, the decision to delay catfish stocking until next summer will maximize the survival of the fingerlings.
“The sunfish and largemouth bass were stocked at 2 to 3 inches long. If we had stocked the channel catfish this year, they could have ended up eating a lot of the fingerlings,” Hodges said. “By waiting until 2009 to stock the catfish, most of the bass and sunfish fingerlings should be large enough to avoid being eaten by the catfish.”
Because the reservoir was refilled recently, the fingerlings have plenty of places to hide from predators.
“There are currently lots of bushes growing in the shallow areas of the pond, which took root while the pond was drawn down for renovations,” Hodges said. “Now that the pond has been refilled, they make great shallow-water fish habitat.”
Additionally, creek channels winding through the bottom of the pond provide deep-water sanctuaries for fish.
“Fish like these types of places because they like to hang out in deep water, while still being close to shallow water,” Hodges added.
To facilitate access to the pond, public services and park personnel constructed a universally accessible paved trail connecting the main parking area to the pond. The trail encircles the pond, providing excellent access for bank anglers.
“The trail leading to the pond is closed to vehicles so anglers have to walk about 1/5 of a mile to the pond from the parking area,” said Jeff Boyles, Mt. Airy director of public services. “However, anglers with disabilities will be allowed to drive to the pond, and there are several parking spaces designated as universally accessible right beside the pond.”
The fish stockings, fishing pier and plans to install a floating fish feeder in 2009 are part of a fisheries management plan jointly developed by Hodges and Mt. Airy officials through the Commission’s Community Fishing Program.
The Community Fishing Program is a cooperative venture between the Commission and local governments to provide more fishing opportunities in city and county parks, particularly for the young, elderly and physically challenged. Program expenses are cost-shared with local cooperators, with the Commission providing 75 percent of the operating funds through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and local cooperators paying the remaining 25 percent.
In addition to partnering with the Wildlife Commission, the City of Mount Airy secured funding for Westwood Park from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Resource Institute, according to Catrina Alexander, Mt. Airy director of parks and recreation.
“Westwood Park is a great example of local government developing partnerships to stretch its budget and to maximize recreational opportunities for the community,” Alexander said. “Families visiting Westwood Park can have fun on our two ball fields, a picnic shelter, playground area, par fitness golf, a 9-hole Frisbee golf course, 6 miles of mountain bike trails, nearly 1 ½ miles of gravel and paved trails, and of course, the new fishing pier on Tumbling Rock Reservoir.”
For more information about Westwood Park, call the Mt. Airy Parks and Recreation Department at 336-786-8313, or visit www.mountairy.org.
For more information about the Wildlife Commission’s Community Fishing Program or fishing in the state’s public, inland waters, click here, or call the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 707-0220.
Related posts
500 Reef Balls Slated for Deployment on the Great Egg and Little Egg Reefs
October 21, 2008
Five hundred reef balls have been constructed at Southern State Correctional Facility at Delmont and are ready for deployment during early November at the Great Egg and Little Egg Reefs. The Great Egg Reef is located eight nautical miles southeast of Absecon Inlet and the Little Egg Reef is located five nautical miles east of Little Egg Inlet. Each reef site will receive 250 reef balls. The reef balls will soon be homes for more than 150 species of fish and other marine life as part of the Artificial Reef Program.
Reef balls are a designed reef habitat that is well suited for drift fishing areas within reef sites. The interior of the reef ball habitat is hollow and a current vortex is created inside due to concave holes on the exterior. The exterior holes also allow marine life such as crabs, shrimp and fish to enter the interior as refuge from predators.
The deployment is subject to weather and sea conditions. For further information on this deployment contact Hugh Carberry at 609-748-2022.
For information on past and planned deployments see the Artificial Reef Deployments page.
Related posts
IDNR Releases Biological Stream Ratings for Diversity, Integrity, and Significance
October 20, 2008
 Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity
SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announces the release of biological stream ratings that combine, update, and enhance the two previous approaches for rating Illinois streams. Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity. These ratings are regularly used by the IDNR and watershed and environmental groups that focus on stream protection and enhancement.
The new ratings for diversity, integrity, and significance replace the Biological Stream Characterization (BSC) and Biologically Significant Streams (BSS) that were developed in 1984 and 1992 respectively.
“Both BSC and BSS processes generated products that are used extensively by diverse stakeholders,” said IDNR Acting Director Sam Flood. “The new stream ratings will provide the Illinois Department of Natural Resources with a mechanism for identifying high-quality examples of all stream communities and will guide management and restoration activities throughout the state.”
The new ratings use fish, macroinvertebrates, crayfish, mussels, and threatened and endangered species information to generate an overall score of biological diversity and integrity in streams. The purpose behind the new ratings was not only to update outdated information, but to establish baseline conditions against which change promoted by the Wildlife Action Plan could be measured and understood. Since the Wildlife Action Plan broadly addresses all types of wildlife including fish, mussels, amphibians, and reptiles, these new ratings will help resource managers to determine if aquatic organisms are responding to management activities promoted by the plan.
The information contributing to integrity and diversity ratings is then used to identify a sub-set of stream reaches as “biologically significant”. The revised ratings are limited mostly to wadeable streams and incorporate biological information from 1997 - 2007.   Â
“We believe that including additional groups of organisms into both integrity and diversity measures in ratings provides a more robust assessment of stream biological condition, thereby improving our confidence in stream ratings,” said Mike Conlin Director of IDNR – Office of Resource Conservation.Â
More information about how the ratings were developed and what biological information was used can be found at:Â http://www.dnr.state.il.us/orc/BioStrmRatings/
Related posts
Annual Kids Wildlife Art Competition Announced by Magazine
October 3, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. – Wildlife in North Carolina magazine is sponsoring an art contest for children to encourage them to observe and appreciate native wildlife as an inspiration for art and science.
Students attending