FISHERIES DIVISION MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT January 2011

Transcription

1 1 FISHERIES DIVISION MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT January 2011 FISH HATCHERIES J.A. Manning Hatchery: Performed routine maintenance to equipment and vehicles as scheduled or needed. Continued rotovating and reshaping pond bottoms. Picked up rocks from pond bottoms. Assembled new rock rake and rock bucket and began removing rocks from ponds with the tractor instead of by hand. Took welder and plasma cutter in to have them repaired. Repaired leak in six inch water line on hatchery. Began process to get leak in twelve inch water line behind lake dam repaired. Made repairs and adjustments to shop doors. All hatchery employees began process of learning to use electronic time sheets. Received three new pond gates and began gathering materials for installing them. Built new filter boxes to filter out unwanted species while filling ponds. Trimmed trees from around the office and hatchery fences. Met with City of Lawton officials to discuss repairs to water line behind city filter plant. Began working on the production report for 2010 and end of the year PMP s. Tagged bobcats. (T. Wright) Durant Hatchery: DH staff continued stocking Blue River weekly with stockpiled rainbow trout picked up from the Greers Ferry NFH. DH received the first load of bi-monthly allotments of rainbow trout from Crystal Lake Fisheries on January 13 th for weekly stockings into the Blue River. All stockpiled trout were fed twice a day, raceways cleaned, and water quality was maintained. DH staff reviewed engineering firm submittals with DCS personnel and also was involved in interviewing 3 potential firms for designing the DH Water Supply and Storage System Repair project. DH staff discussed on site the upcoming hatchery reservoir renovation project with the engineering firms interested in the project. Two DH employees attended the Leadership Development Program Workshop in Edmond. All fish species were monitored, fed, water quality was maintained and nuisance aquatic vegetation controlled. DH staff continued monitoring and deterring otters on the hatchery, which are eating hatchery fish. To date 3 otters have been caught this winter by DH staff. DH staff deterred herons, egrets, and cormorants from culture ponds. Tours were given to 9 people during the reporting period. Packets with general ODWC information were handed out and numerous walk-in visitors were assisted during this reporting period. Hatchery grounds, buildings, equipment, and vehicles were maintained. The shop and office were cleaned weekly and as needed. (Gordon Schomer II) Byron Hatchery: Fish culture activities completed this month includes feeding brown trout and channel catfish in ponds 4, 5, and 9. The water levels were maintained in ponds with fish in them as well as the hatchery reservoirs. Ice levels were monitored in ponds. Staff worked on annual stocking report, pond production records, and inventoried fish production supplies. Requisitions for fish food and fertilizer for the hatchery section were completed and submitted to the central office for the bid process. Maintenance activities completed this month includes replacing florescent bulbs and ballasts for lights in the fish house and office, repairing aquarium screens, repairing fry capture buckets, and repairing the catch basin for water from the ice machine. The blades were replaced on the batwing 15 mower, chain saw and weed trimmers were serviced, as was the JD Gator serviced. The metal shop was cleaned and insulated, the door latch fixed, and the office was cleaned. The toilet was replaced and outside light in residence 4. Worked with vendor on new air blower that is shutting off and is still under warranty. Trees and shrubs were trimmed this month also. Other activities completed this month include submitting requisitions and ordering supplies, and other routine monthly paper work. Supervisor began working on 5 year federal aid report, and interviewed 3 engineering firms for the Durant Hatchery Repair Project. Staff also assisted Wildlife Division with Alfalfa County Youth Deer Hunt and with Bird Feeder Program at the BFH Watchable Wildlife Area. No fish were stocked this month. (S. Spade) Holdenville Hatchery: Various fish were sampled and feeding rates were adjusted accordingly. Water quality parameters were monitored in culture ponds. Hatchery personnel distributed 7,260 rainbow trout from Greer s Ferry National Fish Hatchery to the Illinois and Mountain Fork Rivers. Hatchery manager assisted in the interviewing process for interested engineering firms for the Durant Hatchery project. Preparation of the 2010 production report, budget and employee PMP s were initiated. Hatchery reservoir water level and pumps were monitored. Hatchery staff deterred herons, egrets, cormorants and river otters from culture ponds. Ponds were mowed, disked and graded for upcoming culture season. Hatchery roads were graded and maintained. Hatchery grounds were maintained though out the month. Repairs were made to ponds, nets, seine and screens where needed. Shop and vehicle storage buildings were cleaned as needed. Repairs and maintenance to buildings, equipment and hatchery grounds were made as needed. (J. Davenport) FISHERIES RESEARCH Effectiveness of Stocking 7-inch Channel Catfish to Reservoir Fisheries: Aging of channel catfish from all study lakes was completed. Channel catfish from Greenleaf, Okmulgee, and Lone Chimney reservoirs grew faster, but contained younger individuals, than channel catfish from Ponca, McMurtry, and Okemah reservoirs. Preparations for spring sampling are ongoing. (OSU Coop) Post-hooking Mortality of Blue Catfish Caught by Jug Fishing: Field jug-fishing trials continued. Preparations began for an oral presentation of the project to be made at the Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in February (OSU Coop) Economic Impact of the Cold-water Fishery in the Lower

2 Mountain Fork River: Creel surveys and follow-up economic surveys by phone continued. Sixty-six contacts were made in December Data input and economic modeling continued. (OSU Coop) Arkansas River Striped Bass Evaluation: A presentation on the Arkansas River striped bass fishery was given to fisheries professionals and students at the SDAFS meeting in Tampa, Florida. Results from 2010 PIT tagging are being prepared for the Federal Aid segment report. (G. Summers) SSP Electrofishing Evaluation: A presentation over duration, fixed vs. random sites, and sample size was put together and presented at the Southern Division American Fisheries Society spring meeting in Tampa, Fl. (G. Summers) Florida Largemouth bass stocking evaluation: OFRL staff continues to analyze age-1 Florida bass otoliths for OTC marks. OFRL staff has completed OTC mark analysis on approximately 700 otoliths from Sardis Lake age-0 individuals, and no OTC marks have been found. Discussion concerning OTC mark validation and marking techniques are ongoing in preparation for 2011 Florida bass marking. (G. Summers) Grow-out catfish stocking: Sectioning and aging of channel catfish were completed. A total of approximately 1400 fish were aged. American Horse, Raymond Gary, and Ozzie Cobb had the highest growth rates while Chambers and Burtschi were the lowest. No angler surveys were received. (G. Summers) Walleye stocking evaluation: OFRL staff has completed OTC mark validation for a subsample of age-0 walleye otoliths from three of four treatment lakes. No fish from Spavinaw Lake were collected in 2010 sampling. OTC marks were confirmed for age- 0 walleye collected from Fort Supply, Foss, and Hefner lakes. OTC mark analysis is ongoing. (G. Summers) Other Research Laboratory Activities: Seventy-two regional SSP datasets from 52 lakes have been analyzed and returned to regional management crews. The summary of fall 2010 SSP sampling is being compiled for public release in the annual Angler Guide issue of Outdoor Oklahoma. Regional age and growth data are being edited and prepared for analysis. Staff chaired a Marketing Committee meeting where information from the RBFF workshop was presented and the senior license campaign was discussed. Staff assisted I&E with development of printed materials for mailing in the senior campaign. Research coordinator prepared an outline of the Regional Fisheries Management Grant final report as well as a section that will be used by all reports regarding fisheries sampling evaluation. Staff represented Oklahoma at the SDAFS Reservoir and Catfish Technical Committees as well as the SDAFS EXCOM at the SDAFS Spring meeting in Tampa. Staff coordinated recording of 179 presentations from the SDAFS Spring meeting for podcasting. Equipment maintenance and repair is ongoing. Usage of equipment and HACCP logs were completed. Staff completed all required HRDS training. 2 Additions to the Digital Atlas of Oklahoma Fishes were completed that incorporated with past ODWC stream surveys data. Routine server maintenance was performed. Class assignments for Leadership Program were completed by two OFRL staff. (G. Summers) Golden Algae Management Measures: The lake monitoring program and sample analyses continued, but is now on a biweekly basis. Toxicity bioassays were conducted in the Lebanon Pool water (site of ongoing bloom). The study of golden algae phylogeny continued using the ITS 1 region of the 16S rrna gene; continued analysis of sequence data and submitted additional replicate samples to OUHSC. Data analysis continued for a manuscript detailing the qpcr protocol for quantifying golden algae; prepared draft manuscript for submission to Letters in Applied Microbiology. Daphnia bioassays continued in examination of the role of N:P and salinity on golden algae toxin extracts. Galley proofs were corrected and returned were for Remmel, E. J., N. Kohmescher, J. H. Larson, and K. D. Hambright Experimental study of harmful algae-zooplankton interactions and the ultimate grazing defense. Limnol. Oceanogr. in press. The ODWC Oklahoma Wildlife Diversity Workshop was attended the Arcadia Conservation Education Area, Edmond. (G. Summers) FISHERIES MANAGEMENT East Central Region: Maintenance of grounds and equipment. Returned phone calls and s. Completed 2010 PMP s and new 2011 PMP s. Completed stocking review list for Cleaned up parking area at Ft. Gibson WMA for cedar tree cutting in near future. Attended SDAFS meeting as a presenter, and ODWC rep. for the warm water streams committee. Attended a workshop on population modeling. Develop a historical summary of the Illinois River/Tenkiller Reservoir water issue to be presented to the Colonel of the COE. Attended a meeting at Lake Arcadia regarding non-game issues and SWG s. Read bass and crappie otoliths from area lakes. Entered 2010 SSP data onto computer. Staff assisted SE Region with a habitat project on Hugo Lake. Continued with scheduled trout stockings in lower Illinois River. Reviewed and edited all 2010 sauger data. Designed a sauger project presentation for SDAFS. Investigated a fish kill report of shad below Webbers Falls. The kill was thousands of drum ranging from 4 to 11 inches. Attended 7 Habits of Highly Effective People class for leadership development program. Participated in online course Leader as Supervisor for leadership development program. Continued with Oklahoma Chapter AFS and division meeting planning. (J. Burroughs) Northeast Region: Provided general assistance to public. Performed routine and preventative maintenance on state vehicles and watercraft. Maintained Jenks office. Completed weekly and monthly timesheets, vehicle logs, and P-card paperwork. Participated in NER staff meetings. Attended Fisheries Science and Statistics classes at OSU. Prepared

3 agenda and minutes for RPC paddlefish meeting. Attended meeting to discuss upcoming RPC season and paddlefish research projects. Purchased and installed antivirus software on NER computers. Began preparing Regional Federal Aid report for NER. Began updating PMP s for regional technicians and biologists. Continued preparing budget request for FY Entered and approved lake record information for regional lakes. Accepted and reviewed applications for 2011 RPC Undergraduate Internship. Prepared oral presentations for Southern Division American Fisheries Society and Oklahoma Chapter American Fisheries Society symposia. Attended Southern Division American Fisheries Society symposium in Tampa, FL. Prepared equipment for paddlefish gill net sampling on Grand and Keystone Lakes. Performed paddlefish netting on Grand and Keystone Lakes. Paddlefish netting data entry and analysis. Assisted local television crew in filming a piece on paddlefish snagging and conservation in Grand Lake. Purchased and installed equipment for sonic paddlefish telemetry in Grand Lake. Patrolled county. Overseen construction of new RPC. Made adjustments to new RPC construction. Pre-RPC meeting. 10 days of Paddlefish nets. Repaired Bluewave trailer. Prepared presentation for OK AFS. Ordered supplies for 2011 RPC season. Maintenance and repair on boats. Worked with DEQ, FDA, ODOT. Modifications to lagoon at new RPC. (B.Gordon) Southeast Region: Assisted walk-ins and answered phones at the Higgins office. Monthly paperwork and bills were completed and submitted. The office and grounds were maintained. Monthly staff meeting was held. Continued work on Sardis LMP. Conservation Passport signs were placed at Nanih Waiya Lake, Ozzie Cobb Lake and Schooler Lake. Information on clearing of ODWC lots at Raymond Gary was acquired and submitted to Chiefs for review. An open records request for Sardis was completed. McAlester and Idabel public hearings were attended. Boxes of Outdoor Oklahoma magazines 1960 to present were sorted for archiving. USFS sampling data analysis was submitted to USFS biologist. Transition from old purchase cards to new cards was completed as required. Trout stocking schedules were modified as required and mortality problems addressed. Information regarding LMF River re-regulation dam was discussed with Environmental Biologist. Department Lakes in SER were visited to plan future maintenance needs. Historical SER files were acquired from Durant office and transferred to Higgins. Reviewed request for stocking fish into ponds at Three Rivers WMA. Equipment, materials, and staff were acquired and/or coordinated through habitat coordinator, wildlife division, SCR and CR in preparation for placing brush piles in Hugo Lake. Technical assistance was provided about t- posts in Eufaula Lake. Information about catfish angling on Wister and Hugo Lakes was provided to a newspaper writer. SER staff assisted consultant with downloading of water quality sondes for mussel project. Trout were stocked at Robbers Cave State Park per stocking schedule. Prepared Farmed Cervidae article and submitted to I&E for review and publication. HACCP was conducted as needed and recorded as required. Supervisor 3 completed eight hours of ride-along as part of reserve officer requirements. Biologist attended Wildlife resource Professional training. Biologist and Technician assisted as reserve officers with holiday antlerless season on Three Rivers WMA. Vehicle maintenance was conducted as necessary. Brakes were replaced on gooseneck trailer. Reserves attended 3 rd District LE meeting regarding new citation procedures. (D. Groom) Streams Program: Coordinated and conducted bi-weekly, mitigation and surplus trout stockings at the lower Mountain Fork River with Crystal Lake Fisheries and hatchery staff. Provided outreach to anglers seeking information on stream fishing. Held meetings with streams management staff to coordinate upcoming activities, future directions and to clarify staff responsibilities. Continued to monitor flow and thermal changes along the Lower Mountain Fork River. Cleaned and maintained office, grounds and equipment at streams management facilities in Caddo. Maintenance work on Lost Creek to install stop logs to reduce flow through structure. Conducted angler surveys for 2010 LMFR socioeconomic study. Conducted habitat enhancement project on Spillway Creek. Continued assisting OBS staff with documenting the presence and spread of Didymosphenia geminata (i.e., didymo) at the lower Mountain Fork River. Maintenance was performed on state vehicles. Completed HACCP and equipment maintenance logs. Jay Barfield conducted Reserve Officer ride along training. (J. Barfield) South Central Region: Assisted with weekly trout stockings. Assisted with catch and release stocking. Updated fish division web page information on the Department web site. Provided interview on Texoma bluecat fishing for OK Game and Fish Magazine. Worked on SSP reports for Durant Lake, Healdton Lake, Jean Neustadt Lake and Mt. Lake. Review of Lake Texoma storage reallocation reports and RRCCP documents. Discussions with Marshall County Commissioner and USACOE regarding potential boating access development at Lake Texoma. Inspection of remote access location at Lake Texoma. Maintained region equipment. Prepared electronic timesheet template. Continued progress on pending AFS manuscript. Attended Southern Division AFS meeting and Technical Committee meetings in Tampa, FL. Gave two presentations at Southern Division AFS meeting. General office, shop, and equipment maintenance. Repair work to parking lot and entrance gate at BRPFHA HWY 7 access. Trash removal from area campgrounds and facilities. Maintenance to stocking roads and fishing access. Visited with BRPFHA area users regarding fishing and hunting activities. Installed 20+ cedar brush piles at Veterans Lake during drawdown conditions. Answered calls and questions from general public. Attended McAlester public hearing and answered public questions. Assisted with law enforcement on 3 Rivers WMA. Maintenance to State trucks. Assisted State Game Wardens. Reviewed 2011 license changes. Inspected Lake Texoma backwaters for signs of golden algae blooms. (M. Mauck)

4 Southwest Region: Continued reading otoliths from 2010 gill nets. Entered SSP data and sent to OFRL for analysis. Worked on graphs for Lake Ellsworth 5-year plan. Prepared presentation on gillnet mesh selectivity data and gave presentation at SDAFS winter meeting in Tampa. Completed drawdown with NRCS at Lake Vanderwork for boat ramp repair. Completed and submitted compliance documents for projects at Crowder, Vanderwork, Burtschi and Fort Cobb. Worked with Lawton, SWOSU (Crowder), Lake Maintenance and Duncan on boating access project planning. Drew site plans and maps for 4 projects. Checked and measured potential new boating access site at Lake Ellsworth. Made new boating access compliance document spreadsheet. Prepared presentation on new ODWC boating access program for Division meeting. Worked with City of Lawton on grass carp barrier on spillway at Lake Helen, and planned grass carp purchase and stocking. Planned brush and vegetation projects at Fort Cobb. Amended trout area signs at Quartz Mt. to eliminate Trout License Required. Met truck and sampled trout for contract compliance, with 100% above minimum size. Cleaned old boat barn and storage building, and maintained boats. Worked Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge elk hunt with WD. Researched mercury pollution studies and issues on WMWR. Responded to 2 nd phase of WMWR plan. Checked on Crowder Lake drawdown plan. Attended meeting on Wildlife Diversity plan update and submitted SWR needs for non-game fish research and restoration. (L. Cofer) Central Region: Processed invoices, submitted monthly reports and p-card paperwork. Updated equipment use records and mileage logs. Cleaned shops. Attended OFRL staff meeting and discussed upcoming field events, equipment sharing, winterizing boats, trailer maintenance and upcoming aquatic education/outreach events. Boat trailer wheel bearings and brakes were repaired on the shocker boat, two netting boats and pontoon boat. Work continued on Arcadia Lake Management Plan. Attended OKC Fish and Game Commission meeting regarding flood detention pond at SW66 and Santa Fe. Equipment and supplies were purchased for boat/trailer repair and fish hauling. Entered OCPR work hours for Federal Aid match. Submitted completed task list regarding accountabilities to supervisor for 2010 PMPs. Reviewed SSP data analysis output for region lakes and CTHFP ponds. ed Latta, Canadian, Crowder, Stonewall, Eufaula, Vanoss, Holdenville, and Roff schools about spiderblock work. Coordinating cedar tree project on Eufaula Lake using trees from James Collins WMA. Delivered spiderblock supplies to Moss, Holdenville and Canadian schools. Constructed 145 spiderblocks for use in CTHFP sites. Rearranged 100 spiderblocks in Harrah pond due to low water exposing many of the structures. Assisted USFWS with paddlefish netting on Eufaula Lake. Provided technical assistance to 2 landowners regarding fish habitat types and critter identification in a farm pond. Assisted City of Guthrie with filling out FA compliance documents for boat courtesy dock project at Liberty Lake. Attended a CTHFP informational meeting with City of Enid officials, NWR Fisheries personnel and the Garfield County Game Warden. Items discussed 4 included: pond access, waterfowl problems, pond renovation, pond surveys, fish stocking, regulations/enforcement and fees. Provided guidance on application process to three municipalities to replace boating courtesy docks. Work is underway on the Arcadia Lake fishing pier. Reviewed 2010 stocking list for corrections. Reviewed changes and then submitted final version of Central Region (West) fish stocking spreadsheet to Byron SFH. Checked erosion at Graves Creek Ramp on Eufaula Lake. Began repairing Aq. Ed. rods and reels. Worked trout clinic at Putnam City High School for about 200 attendees. Arranged speaker for upcoming Crappie.com meeting. Technician worked on fishing presentation for Holdenville Lions Club. Coordinated activities and personnel for the OKC Tackle and Hunting Show at the Cox Convention Center. Performed required HACCP procedures on equipment and updated logs. Began orientation for online leadership training class and attended class at Arcadia office. Took pickup for transmission repair estimate then inspected and cleaned vehicle prior to delivery to OKC office. Picked up replacement truck to use until new vehicles arrive. Recorded comments on regulation change proposals at the OKC Public Hearing, compiled comments and submitted them to Administration. (G. Gilliland) Environmental Program: Fourteen (14) letters were addressed requesting environmental impact assessments or reviews on various projects that could affect species of greatest conservation need. Attended Oklahoma Water Resources Board meeting. Coordinate with ODEQ and Attorney General staff regarding Tar Creek issues. Discussed BNSF NRDA settlement with Attorney General s office. Coordinated in-stream flow project planning meeting with OWRB, OSU, and fish division staff. Coordinated with OSU and OWRB staff regarding in-stream flow sampling in eastern Oklahoma. Coordinated with Streams Management staff regarding program activities and upcoming spillway creek restoration. Repair and maintenance of Environmental program boat. Discussed SWG project selection with Wildlife Diversity staff. Revised SWG RFP scoring sheet. Attended Oklahoma invasive plant council (OKIPC) board meeting. Reviewed and ranked state wildlife grant proposals. Reviewed and issued various import/export and scientific collector's permits. Edited OKIPC species list and provided comments. Worked on scientific collector's permit revisions with M. Howery. Helped conduct wildlife diversity workshop at Arcadia Educational Center. Attended invasive species task force meeting at the state capitol. Reviewed tolling agreements for TCTC. Issued commercial minnow dealer's licenses. Reviewed Kansas crayfish regulations. Compiled aquatic priorities for state wildlife grants with W. Ray. Provided a report to USFWS on zebra mussel project. (W. Ray/C. Tackett) Northwest Region: Work has started on first drafts of 2010 SSP reports. Walleye and hybrid striped bass otoliths from 2010 gill netting are being aged. Visited with trout anglers at Etling and Watonga lakes. Checked on construction at Lake Elmer. Held a meeting with Devon Oil Company representative on water sales from Lake American Horse. Attended a meeting

5 with City of Enid officials on Close to Home fishing. Regional biologist and technician completed law enforcement firearms qualification. Regional biologist completed HRDS training. Visited with lake record keeper at Fort Supply. To date, no records have been submitted. A five-year F65D report was completed and submitted to OFRL. Gifts are being collected for an upcoming AFS meeting. Conducted the Alfalfa County Youth Hunt. Five out of six hunters were successful at harvesting a doe. Technical assistance was given to one pond owner. (J. Stahl) shoreline was burned off at Burtschi and trash was picked up. Technician went to Manning Hatchery to dig up a leak in a water line. A new gas line was installed for a new heater at headquarters. All vehicles, equipment, buildings and grounds were maintained and serviced as needed or as scheduled. (T Waters) North Central Region: Work continued writing SSP management reports for regional lakes that were sampled in Historical graphs were completed analyzing age and growth and catch rate data by lake and mean length at age from statewide databases. Data entry on Skiatook Lake gill netting was forwarded to the OFRL for analysis. Edits were made to the Skiatook Lake Management Plan. The 5 Year management grant for Project F79 was completed and compliance documents were forwarded to the OFRL by deadlines. The 2010 Stocking reports were proofed and corrected for the annual stocking report documents. Striped bass otoliths were removed from heads donated by anglers below Kaw Lake for analysis. Gill net repair was initiated during this reporting period. Equipment logs were updated. A regional safety meeting was attended by staff for the first quarter requirement. PMP information was updated and documents were completed for regional staff. A coordination meeting was held with the Kaw Lake USACE to discuss 2011 projects. Assisted with trout stockings at Lake Pawhuska and coordinated a change in stocking dates to accommodate the tagging of fish for the annual trout derby. Planned method of modifying trout sign verbiage at Lake Pawhuska. Attended Wildlife Diversity Workshop sponsored by the ODWC. Initiated planning on regional lakes to be sampled in Attended the annual Fish Feast sponsored by the Fishing Notebook web site at Sooner Lake Discharge and discussed angling opportunities with anglers and answered question pertaining to management of fisheries in region. Reviewed Texas chapter of AFS Podcasts on habitat projects and other pertinent material and forwarded to staff. Prepared for SSP Committee meeting to discuss electrofishing sampling procedures for Staff answered phone calls and drop in constituents in a professional manner. Equipment maintenance and upkeep was addressed as needed. Routine office duties were performed as needed. (B. Wentroth) Lake Maintenance: Due to extreme weather, illness and holidays work at Lake Elmer was slow. We had a power divider go out on one truck and a water pump on another. The crew replaced the water pump on one truck and the other had to go out for bids for three weeks with no response. Finally got the go ahead to do a no response bid and get the truck fixed. The cedar tree piles at Lake Elmer were burned and water still gets pumped out of work area every day. One day was used to set up the electronic time sheets for our crew. Bill Hale brought down a boat motor for the junk sale. The 5