FISHERIES DIVISION MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT July 2010

Transcription

1 1 FISHERIES DIVISION MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT July 2010 FISH HATCHERIES J.A. Manning Hatchery: Performed routine maintenance to equipment and vehicles as scheduled or needed. Mowed and ran weed eater around hatchery grounds. Hauled gravel and graded hatchery roads. Stocked channel catfish fingerlings into hatchery ponds for the growout program. Made two trips to Durant to pick-up channel catfish fingerlings. Durant Hatchery delivered two truck loads of channel catfish fingerlings also and stocked them into hatchery ponds. Installed aerators into catfish ponds and placed air blower on farm pond fish pond. Sprayed CCat ponds with copper sulfate to help control aquatic vegetation. Gave two tours to Catholic School from OKC. Fed catfish two times daily. Hatchery manager attended HRDS class in Lawton, Assistant Manager attended HRDS class in Norman. Provided assistance to Lake Maintenance crew working on hatchery ponds. Lake Maintenance crew completed pond repair project giving us five more acres of pond use (T. Wright) Durant Hatchery: Two Flmb fingerling ponds were harvested and stocked into Lake Texoma. SC Region personnel assisted with the Flmb fingerlings. One channel catfish fingerling pond was harvested. Channel catfish fingerlings were restocked into one DH pond and also transferred to the Manning and Holdenville Hatcheries by DH, JAM, and HH personnel for further growth to 7 and 9 sizes. Koi and goldfish forage ponds were harvested and all forage stocked into Flmb brood and future broodstock holding ponds. Goldfish forage was transported from the Byron Hatchery to the Durant Hatchery for use in feeding the DH Flmb broodstock. Channel catfish spawns received from the Tishomingo NFH were hatched and stocked into a DH rearing pond. Plankton samples and other pond data were taken regularly for the Flmb, goldfish, and koi ponds. Two hybrid sunfish ponds were stocked out with female green sunfish and male bluegill. Eight goldfish ponds were stocked out to spawn for the second spawning cycle. Several ponds were fertilized to maximize plankton numbers. All fish species were fed and water quality maintained. DH staff continued work rearing requested aquatic plants, making water tight planting pods and also separating plants to maximize growth. DH staff attended the 2 nd quarter safety meeting held at the DH. Three DH staff also attended a furbearer trapping seminar course near Red Slough. A plumbing contractor installed all new drain and septic lines at the Crew Leader residence; repair to the large ductile iron phase 0 pump station water return line was completed; and replacement/repair to the Hatchery/Region Building phone system was completed during this reporting period. Hatchery grounds were mowed, weed-eated, fence lines and ponds sprayed. Repairs to distribution trucks, tanks, tractors, and equipment were made during this reporting period. DH staff deterred herons, egrets, and snakes from culture ponds. Gravel was spread on hatchery roads to repair pot holes, muddy spots, and as general maintenance. Several hatchery tours and information were given to 82 people, and many walk-in visitors were assisted during this reporting period. The shop and office were cleaned weekly and as needed. (Gordon Schomer II) Byron Hatchery: Fish culture activities completed include daily sampling of water temperatures, dissolved oxygen levels, monitoring of water levels, feeding fish, and applying aeration to ponds when needed. Striped bass hybrid, sunfish, minnow, and goldfish ponds were drained harvested, sorted and the fish stocked in public waters, transferred to Durant, or restocked on the Byron hatchery. Ponds were set and filled, fertilized, and stocked with channel catfish, sunfish, or fathead minnows. Aerators were installed and air blowers ran in the three reservoirs this month. Maintenance activities completed this month include mowing and trimming hatchery grounds, servicing tractors, implements, and mowers, servicing vehicles, cleaning shops, and installing emergency lighting in the fish house. The air system on the 250 gallon hauling unit was repaired, the valve stems, control wheels, and valve box lids on the waterlines for the ponds were painted, and the dikes where grass was planted was watered. The hatchery staff installed pond sealant into reservoir 3 and monitored work being done by the contractor. Other activities completed this month includes ordering supplies, conducting a meeting with the engineers, contractor and ODWC reps on the Byron Hatchery Repair Project, and assisting with the ODWC youth camp. Staff also met with the air blower and pump factory reps on operation and maintenance of those items. (S. Spade) Holdenville Hatchery: Various fish were sampled and feeding rates were adjusted accordingly. Water quality parameters were monitored in culture ponds. Distributed 2,405 rainbow trout from Norfork National Fish Hatchery to the Illinois River. Hatchery reservoir water level and pumps were monitored. Four ponds of Hybrid Striped bass fingerlings were harvested and stocked into public waters. Six ponds were stocked with bluegill brooders for bass forage and farm pond production. Channel catfish (9,500) were stocked in one pond for additional growth. Hatchery personnel assisted the Dexter lab employees with the gathering of fish for disease testing. Hatchery staff deterred herons, egrets, cormorants and river otters from culture ponds. Coordinated and distributed the stocking of 5 aquatic educational ponds for clinics. Ponds were mowed, disked and graded for up-coming culture season. Hatchery roads were graded and maintained. Hatchery grounds were maintained thoughout 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: Overall, 3,315 channel catfish were captured in May with a mean of channel catfish/tandem hoop net series. Okemah, McMurtry, and Okmulgee reservoirs had the highest catch rates at 30.9 (n = 1,236), 18.1 (725), and 16.5 fish/series (658), respectively. Greenleaf, Ponca, and Lone Chimney reservoirs produced the lowest catch rates at 1.9 (n = 77), 5.6 (224), and 9.9 fish/series (395), respectively. Lapilli otoliths from all samples were embedded in epoxy molds using a 2-part epoxy resin and hardener in preparation for sectioning for age estimation. Recreational creel surveys show that anglers are catching and harvesting primarily channel catfish. Ten pectoral spines have been collected by creel technicians for age analysis. (OSU Coop) Post-hooking mortality of blue catfish caught by jug fishing: Field jug fishing trials continued. As reservoir temperature increased > 29 o C, 72-h mortality rates of fish caught on jug fishing rigs dramatically increased (38 50% mortality per trial at these temperatures compared with 8% at 18 o C). (OSU Coop) Economic Impact of the cold-water fishery in the Lower Mountain Fork River: Creel surveys by the ODWC and follow-up phone surveys

2 for travel cost data collection continued. (OSU Coop) Arkansas River Striped Bass Evaluation: PIT tagging of striped bass along the Arkansas River system is ongoing. Thus far, 188 striped bass have been PIT tagged and returned to tailwaters. Two individuals have been recaptured at the Eufaula tailwaters, and two other fish have been recaptured at the Kaw tailwaters. Striped bass angler creel data is also being collected. (G. summers) SSP Electrofishing Evaluation: Analysis of catch rates for fish >14 in. is ongoing. (G. Summers) Grow-out catfish stocking: Channel catfish sampling was conducted at Lakes Ozzie Cobb, Raymond Gary, Burtschi, and Dahlgren. Otoliths were collected from fish at all lakes for aging. Catch rates at Lakes Ozzie Cobb and Raymond Gary were low (17 and 5 fish/set, respectively). Catch rates at Burtschi were high (172 fish/set) while Dahlgren was moderate (45 fish/set).(g. Summers) Walleye stocking evaluation: All walleye OTC marking for 2010 has been completed. A total of 7.5 million fry and 400,000 fingerling walleye were OTC marked and stocked into four lakes: Fort Supply, Foss, Hefner, and Spavinaw. Otoliths from marked walleye are being analyzed to confirm the presence of OTC marks. (G. Summers) Other Research Laboratory Activities: OFRL staff attended the Catfish 2010 symposium in St. Louis, MO and gave a presentation on blue catfish management in Oklahoma. Two research proposals were completed and submitted to research review committee and other proposals are being reviewed by the committee for distribution and review among Fisheries staff. Sauger otoliths were examined to determine the efficacy of OTC marks. Data entry of tournament reports and OFRL library material is ongoing. Equipment maintenance and repair is ongoing. Shop and office were organized and cleaned. Assisted Central Region with expanding plant cages at Purcell and deploying spider blocks at Konawa. Usage of equipment and HACCP logs were completed. Spring A summary table of 2010 largemouth bass sampling data has been compiled for public release by I&E. Archived SSP printouts have been shared with regional management crews. Flathead and blue catfish electrofishing data is being analyzed as it is sent to OFRL. Library coding is ongoing. Technical assistance was provided to six private pond owners. Fish attractor sites on the Digital Fish and Wildlife Atlas (IMS) continue to be updated with lat/long coordinates as they are being provided by regional field staff. Work continues on the 2010 RBFF lapsed angler marketing campaign with the second piece being mailed. Routine server maintenance was performed. Updated SAS data integration, business intelligence and datamining software was installed. (G. Summers) Golden Algae Management Measures: The lake monitoring program and sample analyses continued as in last month. Preparation continued on a manuscript on the toxicity bioassays with golden algal cultures relating to the effects of salinity and N:P ratios. Also preparation continued on a manuscript detailing the qpcr protocol for quantifying golden algae, including development of new method for creating standard curves for the 16S rrna ITS 2 sequence copy number. Work continued on a study of golden algae phylogeny using the ITS 1 region of the 16S rrna gene in effort to discover the relationships between the various strains of golden algae isolated from different locations. Data analysis and manuscript preparation continued on collaborative study (with T. Patton and students, SOSU) of fish assemblage recovery in Lebanon Pool following a golden algae fish kill. The study continued on toxicity of extracted golden algae 2 toxins on copepods and other Lake Texoma zooplankton, including life history effects in daphniid zooplankton. Consultations also continued with West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection regarding golden algae in their district. An ongoing study continued on microbial diversity in P. parvum bloom and non-bloom sites in Lake Texoma (in collaboration with D. Caron, Univ. Southern Cal. and B. Roe, OU Genome Center). Completed a series of experiments examining effects of salinity and N:P availabilities on P. parvum growth rates. Exploration began on possible interactions between golden algae and zebra mussels and anuran larvae (frog tadpoles). (G. Summers) FISHERIES MANAGEMENT East Central Region: Conducted maintenance and repair of equipment and grounds. Attended mercury advisory meeting at headquarters. Coordinated with COE and SWPA multiple times concerning water releases at Tenkiller and Eufaula. Conducted HAACP of boats and equipment. Compiled statewide net order and submitted requisition. Prepared for and hosted Inter-agency coordination meeting at the Porter office. Monitored downstream dissolved oxygen readings at various locations below Eufaula dam. Conducted a water quality profile at Tenkiller Lake, compiled data from findings and forwarded information to both COE and SWPA. Provided technical assistance for landowners, concerning fish kills, vegetation issues, general pond/bass management, in private farm ponds. Conducted two fishing clinics with Dr. Stuart Woods at Connors State College. Assisted with the annual lower Illinois River clean-up day with Tulsa chapter of Trout Unlimited. Continued with scheduled trout stockings at the lower Illinois River. Met with B.A.S.S., ESPN, and three forks harbor officials concerning ANS boat washing at B.A.S.S. Elite tournament. Washed boats for ANS at B.A.S.S. Elite tournament at Three Forks Harbor. Assist waterfowl division with goose roundup. Continued with EXPO planning and scheduling of speakers for this years event. Performed necessary duties for retiring employee including separation papers and vehicle inspection. Investigated a report of a possible snakehead reported to be collected from a Muskogee area creek. The fish in question was not a snakehead but a sculpin. Performed maintenance on vehicle and installed safety lights. Assist wildlife division with injured deer in a homeowner s front yard. Drafted interview questions. (J. Burroughs) Northeast Region: Conducted routine maintenance and repairs to state vehicles. Provided general assistance to public. Attended HRDS course Effective Communication in Management. Maintained Jenks office. Completed weekly and monthly timesheets, vehicle logs, and P- card paperwork. Repaired and maintained boats for sampling. Continued revising lake management plan for Bixhoma Lake. Participated in weekly NER staff meetings. Researched literature on watershed management to incorporate into lake management plans. Began planning striped bass seining on Keystone Lake. Reviewed and discussed OKDEQ mercury study results on area lakes. Researched methods for fingerling striped bass sampling. Attended meeting in Stillwater to discuss winter paddlefish sampling activities. Researched methods for paddlefish dietary study. Cleaned Submersible Ultrasonic Receivers so necessary updates could be downloaded. Performed literature search on paddlefish juveniles, movement, reproduction, etc. Drafted paddlefish telemetry research proposal. Drafted ODWC web changes for paddlefish and Tulsa Urban Fisheries. Visited numerous Tulsa Urban Fisheries ponds. Inventoried, repaired, and ordered collecting supplies for SSP, paddlefish, and urban ponds collections. Paddlefish caviar database management and CITES reports. Longterm comparison of paddlefish morphology and band recovery

3 analysis. Conducted water quality analysis of Oologah and Keystone Reservoirs. Conducted sampling for juvenile paddlefish on Neosho River. Talked with private land owners to discuss fish stocking and aquatic vegetation control options for private ponds. Collected fish for Oklahoma Aquarium s Ozark Stream display. Collected fish for USACE youth fishing derby on Oologah Reservoir. Drafted interagency agreement to conduct creel survey on Lake Hudson for GRDA. Reviewed and prepared comments for GRDA documents regarding land leases at Grand Lake. Compiled historical Grand Lake stocking data for Peoria Tribe. Reviewed Connor s Bridge Boater/Fisher Access documents for Ottawa County. Reviewed and prepared comments for Lake Hudson Recreation Management Plan for GRDA. Participated in TV interview with local news station about pond management. Participated in TV interview with local news station about Baron Fork Creek fishing opportunities. Demonstrated cleaning boats for ANS at B.A.S.S. tournament. Assisted with hybrid striped bass stocking on Oologah Reservoir. Investigated and wrote report on fish kill below Oologah Reservoir. Investigated and wrote report on fish kill at Fort Gibson Reservoir. Investigated and wrote report on fish kill in neighborhood pond in Owasso, OK. Investigated and wrote report on fish kill at private pond in Verdigris, OK. Worked with caviar buyers to provide samples for lot, showed buyers from Japan the RPC, presented paddlefish program for Rotary Club in Miami, assisted hauling fish for the Bassmaster Elite Tournament on Ft. Gibson, FedEx caviar samples to buyer s labs across the country, obtained access to camp overnight on Neosho River, informed game wardens of snagging violations, arranged salted data from 2010 caviar, worked on permit for access to new RPC site off of state highway. Worked with county for entrance to new RPC site, charged scanner batteries, inspected trucks, HRDS class, Gary Peterson s retirement party, sampled Neosho river for spawning sites of paddlefish, ordered new waterproof cell phones, obtained P-card, went to staff meeting at Jenks office, got bids on reflooring RPC, ordered ink for printers, equipment transfers, change orders for 2011, built new requisitions and change orders, worked on requisition for 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. SCR electrofishing boat was taken to Honda dealer for repair. FY2011 budget was reviewed and entered. FY2011 budget items were procured and purchase requisitions submitted. The Environmental Assessment for the Re-Regulation Dam hydro-power project on the Lower Mountain Fork was reviewed and the proposed site visited. Historical LMFR documents were reviewed. Quarterly safety meeting was conducted pertaining to snake bites. Recent and future activities on Lower Mountain Fork River were discussed with LMFR Organization. ODWC/ODEQ meeting regarding mercury testing was attended. Mercury testing information was reviewed and explained to District three Game Wardens. ODEQ public meetings at Broken Bow and Hugo were attended. Weighing scales used by Game Wardens were picked up from Hugo COE compound and certified along with SER scales through the Dept. of Ag. Electrofishing data from Three Rivers WMA ponds and Tucker Lake was compiled and submitted to the OFRL for analysis, otoliths read, and subsequent reports were provided to the Wildlife Biologist. Repairs were made to the electrofishing boat propeller. Request to stock hybrid striped bass in Hugo reservoir was reviewed. Hiring papers for intern were completed and submitted to Division office. Fishing/boating access opportunities and habitat projects were discussed with Pine Creek and Broken Bow COE lead Ranger. ODOT proposed road construction site near Idabel was visited to observe any fisheries related concerns. Watershed 3 notification document was completed and submitted to ODEQ Water Quality Division. A 7.4lb largemouth bass was approved as a new lake record on Pine Creek Lake. Wister Lake water quality was sampled. Electrofishing surveys for flathead catfish were conducted on Wister Lake. Fish attractor buoy inspections were conducted; GPS coordinates for fish attractors were collected and updated for all major reservoirs, department lakes, and state park lakes. Fish attractor data was submitted to OFRL for updates to digital atlas. SER fish staff worked with SER wildlife staff in cutting and hauling cedar trees for placement in Pine Creek Lake. Equipment and supplies were transported in preparation of cedar placement. Assistance was provided to land owner regarding excessive vegetation in farm pond. Preparations were made with USFWS in conducting leopard darter surveys. Assistance was provided to SCR in collecting otoliths and fin clips from FLMB. Stocking materials were returned. FLMB workshop was attended at the Caddo office. Assistance was provided to OFRL with channel catfish stocking evaluation at Ozzie Cobb, Raymond Gary and Nanih Waiya Department Lakes. Preparations were made with Choctaw Nation Wheelock Academy to conduct fishing clinics as part of a safety awareness day. Reserve officers attended CLEET defensive tactics training at the Higgins office. HRDS class entitled Say OK to Health was attended. Fred Pryor seminar Unacceptable Employee Behavior was attended. Vehicles were maintained. HACCP was conducted and quarterly logs submitted as required. Deer antlers were prepared for EXPO wildlife bling booth. Staff assisted with the power washing of Bass Masters Elite Tournament angler s boats as part of ANS awareness. (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. Cleared and improved stocking access. Participated in Camp Cavett s Striper Fishing Day at Lake Texoma. Participated in the Wildlife Youth Camp fishing day at Lake Texoma. Participate in the Wildlife Youth Camp fisheries techniques demonstrations. Provided outreach to anglers seeking information on stream fishing. Assisted SCR with processing age and growth information on FLMB research project. Perform habitat enhancement at Arbuckle Lake, refurbishing brush shelters and checking/maintaining fish attractor buoys. Held meetings with streams management staff to coordinate upcoming activities, future directions and to clarify staff responsibilities. Cleaned and maintained office, grounds and equipment at streams management facilities in Caddo. Coordinated with USACE for use of air compressor and pneumatic tools. Conducted staff meeting to gather input for the new direction of streams management. Coordinate with USACE for release changes at the lower Mountain Fork river. Continued to monitor flow and thermal changes along the lower Mountain Fork River. Conducted angler surveys for 2010 LMFR socioeconomic study. Provided technical guidance to LMFR Foundation regarding restoration of base flows, via cleanout of debris from low-level outlets, at the re-regulation dam. 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. (J. Barfield) South Central Region: Assisted with FLMB stocking at Lake Texoma. Assisted with Wildlife Youth Camp aquatic education events. Assisted with Camp Cavette aquatic education event. Held meetings with regional staff to coordinate upcoming activities, future directions and to clarify staff responsibilities. Reviewed end-of-year budget status and secured final purchases. Reviewed golden algae research results. Attended Fisheries Division meeting in Oklahoma City. Reviewed 2009

4 mercury contamination reports and provided information to supervisor relative to current management. Reviewed AFS journal publications. Made contact with lake records vendor. Maintained region equipment and office. Maintained area equipment and grounds as needed. Mowed area campgrounds and facilities. Visited with area users regarding fishing and hunting activities. Maintained stocking roads and fishing access. Inspected threadfin shad recovery at Lake Texoma. Inspected NPS cedar cutting around Arbuckle Lake and made plans for fish habitat efforts. Refurbished brush structures at Arbuckle Lake with approximately 100 large cedar trees. Inspected cedar tree availability for upcoming work at the Ardmore City Lakes. Constructed, sank, and visually inspected spiderblocks at Murray to determine how they appeared underwater with implications on construction modifications. Provided technical assistance via telephone to numerous regional landowners. Maintenance to state trucks. Assisted State Game Wardens. (M. Mauck) Southwest Region: Assisted with channel catfish hoopnet survey with OFRL at Lake Burtschi, caught over 1800 in 8 triple-net sets, and most were below a desirable size for anglers. Repaired gill nets and dip nets. Planned upcoming gill net and blue cat sampling. Gave presentation on the aquatic education program to Lawton Kiwanis Club. Collected show fish for hatchery tours. Loaned equipment to club for event at the Lawton Vet Center pond for 50 kids. Site-checked access areas at Lake Murray. Replaced bumpers and sign on dock at marina cove on Fort Cobb. Planned boating access and new dock placement at Burtschi. Finalized dock inspection paperwork. Attended meeting with OWRB, OFRL, BOR, admin, state park, and FCMCD on vegetation plot project. Purchased materials, constructed and installed three prototype vegetation pens and set out hazard buoys in a cove at Cobb. Checked waterwillow plots, found survival at Humphreys and Clear Creek, and lake wide coverage around Burtschi and Duncan. Compiled GPS brush pile coordinates for OFRL mapping. Met with DEQ, staff, and administration on mercury in fish. Reviewed new budget and completed expenditures for FY10. Responded to information request for articles for I&E. Worked with landowner, game warden, lake maintenance and county commissioner on Lake Vanderwork easement and grazing issues. Checked Lawtonka and streams in WMWR after heavy rain event. Checked shad abundance, habitat and informal creel at Fort Cobb. Checked adult-bass-stocked pond and ponds at Fletcher and Cyril. Worked on crew/storage room in boat storage barn, mowed around buildings. (L. Cofer) Central Region: Processed invoices, submitted monthly reports, travel claims, and p-card paperwork. Updated equipment use records and mileage logs. Entered budget data into spreadsheet to track spending. Reviewed mercury info from DEQ and attended meeting on regulation changes and effects of fish consumption advisories. Obtained donated buckets in Bethel. Picked up air pump at EC office. Maintained offices, shops and grounds. Installed throttle control lever for electrofishing boat. Attended OFRL staff meeting and coordinated activities and equipment use. Had habitat barge hydraulic deck lift and brakes repaired and pontoon boat throttle problems diagnosed. Took water pump in for repair. Sprayed creeping water primrose at Little River Park pond (CTHFP) in Moore. Had garage door opener installed on bay door at Arcadia storage building. Contacted media outlets to advertise Purcell City Lake Five-Year Lake Management Plan meeting. Purchased hardware for habitat work. Verified and updated habitat site GPS coordinates. Priced and ordered equipment trailer. Picked up trailer and blocks from Arrowhead State Park. Repaired fencing and replaced support wires at several plant cages at Lake Thunderbird. OFRL growing cells were weeded and filled. Enlarged 4 plant enclosures at Purcell City Lake and removed carp. Organized water willow planting project for Longmire Lake in Pauls Valley using BASS Angler Conservation Team as a resource for volunteer help. Attended OKC Game & Fish Commission meetings and OKC City Council meeting and provided agency position statements on the effects that closing the H. B. Parsons Fish Hatchery would have on fish management in OKC waters. Hatchery was placed back in the City budget for another year. Provided technical information to 16 land owners regarding farm pond management strategies, fish stocking and sources, pond design, turbidity remedies, aquatic vegetation identification, weed control and parasites in fish. Reviewed Wes Watkins Lake spring electrofishing data and attended meeting with McLoud city officials on future management plans for the lake. Talked to Pontotoc County warden about rotenone use in farm pond and attempted removal of grass carp from a farm pond. Continued preparation of new Boating & Fishing Access Cooperative Agreement packet. Assisted Holdenville lake superintendent with installing regulatory buoys on lake. Assisted OKC Parks & Recreation Dept. with removal of over 150 koi and 700 sport fish from the Myriad Gardens pond in OKC prior to the pond s renovation. Met with SW Region, OWRB, Bureau of Reclamation and State Parks staff regarding proposed plant introduction project at Ft. Cobb Lake. Assisted with fish release at BASS tournament at Ft. Gibson. Collected bluegill and redear brooders for Holdenville SFH. Helped hatchery harvest bluegill pond and stock out bluegill in new ponds. Cleaned out pond harvest basins and helped set up and flood ponds. Assisted Byron SFH with stocking hybrid striped bass at Arcadia Lake. Archived fish stocking reports for regional water bodies. Prepared fishing tackle for upcoming events. Assisted with a clinic and derby for 40 members of Cub Scout Pack 180 in OKC. Filled out and submitted fishing clinic reports to AREP Coordinator. Assisted with coordinating upcoming fishing event at City of Moore s Little River Park. Assisted with Camp Cavett Kids Fishing Derby at Lake Texoma for 170 kids from Oklahoma Children s Hospital. Discussed white bass fishing in Eufaula Lake with anglers. Fabricated display stand and trailer compartment to allow easier transportation of big-screen LCD for fishing simulator. Provided information on fish care to anglers and spectators and BASS professional tournament at Ft. Gibson Lake. Assisted with working up catfish sampled from Dahlgren and Burtschi Lakes. Checked fish kill in pond in Pottawatomie County caused by low dissolved oxygen levels. Discussed fish kill with Jones City Lake officials after receiving calls from concerned citizens. Low dissolved oxygen levels after a large blue-green alga die off appeared to be the problem. Purchased new tires and had pressure sensors repaired. Purchased and installed new tool box on pickup. Performed appropriate cleaning procedures and updated HACCP logs. Coordinated power washing of contestants boats at professional BASS tournament on Ft. Gibson Lake to raise awareness about zebra mussel issues. Technician Newman attended CLEET safety meeting and did ride-along with Seminole County warden. Installed 700 NFWF spider blocks at eight locations on Konawa Lake. Purchased concrete blocks in Tulsa for spider block construction. Took polypipe to EC office and purchased additional pipe for summer spider blocks projects. Constructed and placed out 120 spider blocks with Cub Scout Pack at Heritage Park Pond in Harrah. Constructed and placed buoys for marking spider block clusters at several CTHFP ponds. Proposed spider block project for Hefner Lake in OKC with OCPR personnel and Oklahoma BASS Federation Nation volunteers. Had vehicle repairs done and performed routine maintenance. (G. Gilliland) Environmental Program: Eight (8) letters were addressed requesting environmental impact assessments or reviews on various projects that

5 could affect species of greatest conservation need. Reviewed and commented on wetland development proposals. Coordinated with EPA on oil spill in the Deep Fork River. Reviewed Restoration Plan for Tar Creek Superfund Site and attended Tar Creek Trustee Council Meeting. Prepared annual report for F-78.Investigated fish kill on Deep Fork River. Additional State activities: Assisted USFWS biologist with Arkansas River Shiner Survey in the Cimarron River and Canadian River. Attended HRDS course. Attended scuba training. Answered numerous questions from the public about identification and ecology of various species of reptiles and amphibians and nuisance animal control. Reviewed and issued various import/export, turtle harvester, and scientific collector's permits. Helped coordinate boat washing at BASS elite tournament. Reviewed 2nd quarter HACCP logs. Assisted USFWS with Arkansas River Shiner sampling on the Canadian and Cimarron Rivers. Completed SCUBA certification for freshwater mussel project. Purchased hot water pressure washer for OSU Coop Unit. Attended Oklahoma Invasive Plant Council Conference. Completed NEPA checklist and Section 7 for ANS Task Force Grant to purchase power washers for marina operators. (W. Ray/C. Tackett) Northwest Region: Assisted Byron hatchery personnel with the harvest of three ponds. Collected sunfish brooders for Byron and Durant hatcheries. Regional supervisor completed an online lake habitat survey. Visited with the Bureau of Reclamation (Foss Lake) on a future habitat project. Regional supervisor and biologist attended a mercury advisory meeting at the central office. Assisted with rock delivery at Lake Watonga and assisted Lake Maintenance with rocking jetties at Lake Vincent. Coordinated with USACE on upcoming meeting on Great Salt Plains. Electrofishing boat was transferred to North Central Region for blue catfish electrofishing sample. Regional Fisheries technician attended a CLEET class on law enforcement defensive tactics. Technical assistance was given to ten pond owners. (J. Stahl) Pioneer Vo-tech in Ponca City. Assistance was provided stocking hybrid striped bass fingerlings in Kaw Lake. Met with cooperator to discuss Boating Access project on Pawnee Lake. Discussed Fishing access project with John Stahl. Provided assistance to Game Division personnel with unloading millet from truck for planting on Kaw Lake. Technical assistance was provided to two private pond owner. Maintenance to shocker boat, motor and trailer was accomplished. Other maintenance was performed as needed. Office duties were completed by all deadlines. (B. Wentroth) Lake Maintenance: Lakes Burtschi, Jap Beaver and Vanderwork were mowed and trash was picked up. The small dozer was transported to Arcadia to spread rock and to make parking lot bigger. The crew dressed out area where we got top soil for the job at Manning. All work was finished at Manning Hatchery. Installed a tin horn behind the dam at Burtschi. Equipment Operator went to Lake Watonga to coordinate jetty repair with the parks crew, he also went to American Horse and Lake Elmer to check those areas. The crew went to Lake Vincent to place rock on the new jetties, around the boat ramp and to clean out the spillway. The track hoe, front end loader, big dozer and three dump trucks were taken to Lake Watonga to start the jetty repair. I want to say Thank You to Jeff Headrick for helping control the litter at Vanderwork. All vehicles, equipment, buildings and grounds were maintained as scheduled or as needed. (T. Waters) North Central Region: Regional personnel completed SSP sampling on regional lakes, including blue catfish on Kaw Lake and flathead catfish on Lake Carl Blackwell during this reporting period. Stratified random station maps were created for both reservoirs to determine sampling locations. Data was entered on the word processor and sent to the OFRL for analysis. Largemouth bass otoliths were aged from Lake Carl Blackwell and data was entered and sent to OFRL. Work on the Skiatook Lake Management Plan continued. Assistance was provided to the OFRL with collection of striped bass adults below Kaw Lake and PIT tagging for research program. SSP Gill net repair work was initiated. Met with Payne County Game Warden to confirm Zebra Mussel samples found in Lake Carl Blackwell. Results from the DEQ mercury advisory were reviewed and attendance at a Fish Division meeting with DEQ to discuss our response to the advisory was made by supervisor and biologist. Many phone calls from the public were handled by staff after the advisory was in the Ponca City News. The information in the newspaper was not representative of the finding and much public frustration and confusion was fielded by regional staff. A water quality profile was completed on Kaw Lake near the dam. Water quality was in relatively poor shape and fish habitat was stratified near the surface due to flood waters. Supervisor attended a bass tournament on Skiatook Lake to evaluate the tournament director s methods and make recommendations to reduce mortality of bass. Visited with Tulsa World reporter concerning Skiatook hybrid population for newspaper article. Work was done on habitat surveys on regional lakes and fish attractor spreadsheets were updated. Plastic pipe for spiderblock construction was transported back to the regional office. Regional personnel conducted a fishing clinic at the 5