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Call to Order.
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OK Rep. appointed Secretary (Gene Gilliland).
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Minutes of February 2002 meeting approved. (Mark
Oliver/Kevin Yokum)
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Financial Report (Oliver): Stock market declines have
hurt returns and balance.
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$49,700 as of June, 2001
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$40,700 as of January, 2002
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$41,087 as of May, 2002
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$39,035 as of July, 2002
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Discussion on providing plaques for past RC Chairs
(Fred Janssen). Motion (Oliver) for plaques to be presented to all past
Chairs. Amended (Mike Alexander) and seconded to begin with Oliver rather
than go all the way back …approved. Chair will order plaques.
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Questions about Reservoir Committee income sources?
(Mike Wood). Sales of previous Reservoir Symposium books through AFS
(income in 2001 was $800). Symposia funded through grants means greater
profits for committee.
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Website updates (Janssen). Members are requested to
send info for updates to Janssen. Need new info for state reports -
including digital photographs if available.
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On-line Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Manual (Janssen).
Send information (short descriptive paragraph) and photos (digital images
in .jpg format) about the following to Janssen for inclusion in the Abiotic portion of the manual: Louisiana sand/gravel beds made by washing
off pontoon boat with 3" pump; Pennsylvania’s “Bubba” rock/gravel dump
boat; Missouri & Arkansas working with Tracker boats on lift bed being
designed on pontoon boats for tree sinking; gravel additions during lake
drawdowns in Oklahoma; using Sweetgum and Pin Oak trees in Texas and
Arkansas (they sink without anchors.)
In the Aquatic Plant Introduction manual, Wade Bales suggested adding a
disclaimer about different state laws pertaining to the introduction of
noxious aquatic plants. Mark Webb added that the abstracts from the
Baltimore AFS Aquatic Plant Introduction symposium may serve as
introduction pages for vegetation survey. Symposium travel support
approved for Gilliland, Sammons, Sipocz (approximately $1000). Discussed
ideas for publication of module in NAJFM.
Alexander made PowerPoint presentation of plant introductions from Richard
B. Russell Reservoir in SC. Wave action (mechanical destruction) was
significant problem with colonization.
Subcommittee (Fred Heitman, Gilliland, Chris Horton, Oliver) is to develop
a plan to market and advertise the habitat manual(s).
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| White Bass Symposium Proceedings (Mike Colvin): Printed
module cost less than expected ($561). Copies mailed to AFS Fish
Management Section members that don’t get NAJFM. Postage is still due
(estimated at $300). Extra copies were distributed to RC members.
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| Reservoir Committee Scholarship (Gilliland): Travel for
Steve Sammons = $500. Two scholarships will be available for 2003. Members
were encouraged to tell professors and students – deadline is January 31,
2003 with application forms on the RC website. E-mail Gilliland a list of
university professors from each SE state so a master contact list can be
developed. The Scholarship sub-committee will try to develop more
objective criteria for evaluation.
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| Largemouth Bass Virus/Tournament Data (Gilliland): Need
more info from SE states. Send copies of latest tournament results reports
to Gilliland to determine standards. Should the Reservoir Committee help
facilitate standardization? Misinformation on Internet discussion boards
about LMBV - use to your advantage – post message with links to facts.
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| Reservoir Committee History Poster (Oliver)
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| Catch & Release Project (Scott Hendricks): Georgia B.A.S.S. Federation Top-6 anglers participated in a test survey (thanks
for help from Janssen and Smith). Hendricks discussed results (averages
and top three responses). Half of the anglers said they kept fish in the
last three months.
Questions? Tournament vs. non-tournament differences? Income influence?
Conservation ethics are there. The ‘whys’ are the real question. Other
questions and issues were discussed by all.
The Committee feels the need for more random selection of survey
participants - target LMB in SE. Twelve to fifteen states expressed
interest. They will be responsible for own printing; mailing (3X);
database sorting; and recipient selection (1200-1500 names), follow up
mailings and calls; then Reservoir Committee pays analysis and travel.
Design standardization.
Solicit mailing list from B.A.S.S. Determine costs for 3 mailings and data
fee. Use Internet-based survey to supplement data. Get info on which
states can participate (Greg Summers & T.O Smith). Janssen will send
proposal and info to all for review.
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| Catch & Release Symposium (Alexander): Little interest
in presenting data. There is a lot out there, but few have come forward to
present case histories. Alexander will contact SD-AFS Small Impoundments
Committee for contributions. Dredge data from states....GA, TX, MO, NE,
AR, OK have agreed to participate. Abstracts need to go to Alexander with
info on creel surveys showing harvest, or lack of, and impacts of harvest.
Possible panel discussion on the issue to help fill time if necessary.
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| New Business:
 | Texas is working on a program of quality control for
otolith reading. They propose to distribute a videotape with
instructions and a test to anyone interested. Can the Reservoir
Committee funds production and distribution? Need known-age fish
otoliths for old fish. Janssen will check on costs and report back to
Committee.
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| Proposed new SD-AFS Catfish Technical Committee: RC
Committee input – AR has Species plans (stocking rates, sizes), LA & MO
have catfish tournaments, TN has new regulations for trophy fishery; NC
is getting pressure to regulate catfish more; LA has significant
commercial vs. sport fish issues; TX Urban fisheries rely heavily on
catfish stocking.
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| Roundtable Discussion:
- AR (Horton): 1) Tournament weights down; large
bass are down in Ark. River. Corps navigation study opened door. Notched
dikes to clean sediment in backwaters. Largemouth bass stocking (2" OTC
marked) 500K in 10 pools. 2) Four-levee lake stocking. Tilapia stocked
as forage and sport fish in NE Arkansas lake. 3) 21-acre Nursery pond on
Bull Shoals; 1135 project with AGFC commits $100K for walleye and
blacknose crappie production. 4) Bull Shoals aquatic plant
introductions....success with Valisneria (3 forms); diving to plant
(6-12'). Growing own plants at Hot Springs Hatchery in 4'X10'X30"
above-ground lined pools.
- Corps of Engineers (Alexander): 1)
Auto-venting turbines being installed in Thurman Dam as rehab instead of
hub baffles in increase dissolved oxygen. 2) O2 injection system and
Russell pumpback is cleared for operation. 3) O2 injection is being
designed and installed in Thurman Reservoir for fish habitat. This
brings project into compliance with state water quality standards
(mitigation). $4 million to install, $500K/year to run.
- GA (Hendricks): 1) Fourteen reservoirs under
GA/AL Power control. Shoreline permitting - GA power strongly suggests
adding riprap toe to seawalls to enhance fish habitat. Publicize good
projects. Brochures to permitees (like Duke does in NC). 2) New
hydroacoustic system acquired.
- LA (Wood): 1) Artificial structures being
added. Feed pallets and pvc pipe, ten foot stem, self-righting (see
pictures). Use bass groups to help. Gravel/sand application around piers
and shoreline areas. Wash off deck of boat. 2) Crappie sampling gear –
Hoop nets with lead in between. Working with LSU; 7-12' off points. Each
net has one mesh size, set a complement of nets with mesh sizes of ½, 1,
1½, 2". Drawdown/renovation draining for 2 years; 2500 acres - rat
problem! 3) Hatchery problems with liners....70% of 77 liners are bad.
4) Stocking criteria: new or reclaimed or for FLMB genetics. 5) Built
1.6 acre nursery pond with all the bells and whistles. $180K.
- MO (Colvin): 1) Northern Missouri study on
shad dynamics in reference to slow crappie growth includes watershed
issues. Poor growth with no forage. Fish show up in the diet at 7".
There has been 20 years of poor crappie fishing at Longbranch Lake:
experimental stocking of striped bass hybrids to utilize shad and
perhaps alter shad dynamics to help crappie. 2) Catfish study being done
at Ozark and Truman Lakes where large blue catfish have been depleted by
jug fishing. New project will find out more about populations using
electrofishing on flats, gillnets & hoop nets. 3) Trophy catfish
management? Survey of catfish anglers show over 50% don’t want
restrictions; consumption more important than trophy fish.
- OK (Gilliland): 1) Thunderbird plant
introductions in 2nd year, plant sources continue to be a limiting
factor; 2) white perch invasion in Kaw Reservoir (Arkansas River) from
Kansas – research project just starting.
- SC (Bales): 1) Political Stockings at Santee
Cooper; Fishing declined; 100/acre marked largemouth bass. Little
success. 2) Lake Murray - FERC relicensing, 2 year drawdown of 15 ft.;
30% reduction with little access.
- TX (Janssen): 1) Evaluating hatchery
production of catchable-size channel catfish (12-14") for urban fishing.
Investigate net pens in a reservoir like Arkansas. 2) Golden algae
monitoring in lakes; ammonium sulfate kills algae in hatchery
(suppressed hybrid production though). 3) Lakes getting refilled with
recent floods (south Texas). Restocking of all hatchery production into
algae-killed lakes. 4) Changed Age & Growth techniques to use sectioned
otoliths. Testing with catfish now. 5) Recreational Boating & Fishing
Foundation - pilot study in Hispanic community (Houston); offered one
month of free fishing with literature on where to go; 30K mailouts = 400
responses. The sample was drawn from general population on Hispanic
community, they will look at license sales through point-of-sale system
next year. 6) Kids fishing events data vs. license sales...did outreach
drive sales? Increased awareness of agency but no increase in sales. 7)
Proposed new hatchery at Jasper on Toledo Bend (Sabine River Authority)
to replace old FLMB production facility.
- WV (Yokum): 1) White Branch smallmouth bass
river....winter fish kills (all species) except largemouth bass(?). 2)
Abiotic habitat enhancement (Christmas trees) using tubes welded to hold
trees upright; built on ground during drawdowns. 3) Bret Preston is new
chief. 4) continuing largemouth bass study on five best lakes using
otoliths. 5) smallmouth bass & musky....1 musky/17 min. electrofishing;
P.I.T. tags to determine movement. 6) agency purchased three Smith-Root
electrofishing boats in 2001.
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