Emergency Catch & Release Regulations on the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers for Smallmouth Bass

[beeber2]

This is from Tom Boyd...

Hello Folks,

Just got off the phone with Mike Burton who attended the PFBC fisheries meeting today (Oct. 5, 2010) in Harrisburg, Pa.

The PFBC Fisheries Comm. has implemented a "C&R Only" beginning on January 1, 2011 until their April 2011 Meeting. It will be at that time when a vote to enact the "C&R Only" from Sunbury to The Conowingo Pond takes place.

Mike mentioned that this will be written into the 2011 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary.

I do not have anymore details to share at the moment.

Anyone with further information, please share.

Tom Boyd

 

[afishinado]

Just read this:

Emergency Catch & Release Regulations on the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers for Smallmouth Bass

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) has placed catch & release regulations on the Juniata River and lower Susquehanna River. At the October Fish and Boat Commission meeting the Commissioners voted to publish a proposed rulemaking. PFBC Executive Director John Arway signed a temporary emergency order which allows the changes to take affect Jan. 1, 2011.

The proposed changes will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin as a notice of proposed rulemaking. Public comments will be accepted for 90 days after the official publication. After reviewing the public comments, the Commission is expected to consider adoption of the changes at its April quarterly meeting.

“Reduced densities of smallmouth bass are likely to continue until reproduction and recruitment success improves,” said Mr. Arway. “In order to preserve good quality fishing and to protect the current population, we determined that it is necessary to place catch and release restrictions on those portions of the rivers.”

32 miles of the Juniata River will come under the new regulations beginning at the Route 75 bridge in Port Royal, PA downstream to the mouth of the river in Duncannon. The Susquehanna River gets 98 miles of new catch & release regulations from the inflatable dam near Sunbury downstream to the Holtwood Dam in York County.

Beginning in 2005, the PFBC has documented that low water flows and relatively warm water temperatures have been associated with high incidences of Columnaris bacterial disease in young-of-year bass. At the same time, relatively low dissolved oxygen levels in critically important near-shore nursery areas are occurring.

“We continue to work in partnership with other state and federal agencies to identify the causes of low recruitment and disease,” said Mr. Arway. He added that the issues are a challenge that coveer a broad spectrum of scientists from state and federal resource management agencies.


Link to source: http://crosscurrentfishing.blogspot.com/2010/10/emergency-catch-release-regulations-on.html

 

[wgmiller]

http://www.fishandboat.com/newsreleases/2010press/bass_cr.htm

 

[Fredrick]

OMG my heart just skipped two beats . This has to be the best thing I seen the PFBC do . They even put some restrictions on the tournament anglers. They are actually trying to protect they resource . I am almost speechless. :-D

 

[CPR]

I'm so happy I could cry. Kudo's to Mr. Arway and the PFBC Board of Commissioners.





matt

 

[Fishidiot]

Good decision.

 

[JackM]

Great decision I guess, but surely not the kind of news to celebrate. This is a pretty good indication that the situation is dire. [Are there pollution issues in that region? What happened to the bass?]

Ok, I saw this:

Since 2005, the PFBC has documented that low water flows and relatively warm water temperatures have been associated with high incidences of Columnaris bacterial disease in young-of-year bass. At the same time, water tests have found relatively low dissolved oxygen levels in critically important near-shore nursery areas for young bass.

“We continue to work in partnership with other state and federal agencies to identify the causes of low recruitment and disease,” said Mr. Arway, who added that the issues are challenging a broad spectrum of scientists from state and federal resource management agencies.


Maybe finding the cause and stopping it ought to be urgent enough to take emergency measures. I guess harvest has some effect, but it doesn't sound like that is the reason for low recruitment.

 

[LehighRegular]

As I have said before on this issue in past discussions, this declaration sends up the red flag, so to speak. Saying "we have a problem Houston".

I applaud Mr. Arway and the PFBC Commissioners for taking this step.

Personally, I think our agencies have an undaunting task in front of them to resurect the Susquehanna and bring back smallmouth bass populations to where they were in the 90s.

 

[CPR]

This is news to celebrate. The PFBC has finally taken some positive step towards proactive management of the resources and are living up to their self proscribed "Resource First" slogan.

Yes, it is sad that the river is in such bad shape but for those of us who have been seeking change since 2005 or earlier this is very very exciting news.

matt

 

[JackM]

How about a no-fishing regulation? How about no sewage discharge regulation? How about no storm-water run-off without treatment regulation? There are a lot of actions our govt. might take, but it seems C&R regs are like a finger in the dike.

 

[jayL]

I am pleased to hear about this reg, but I think Jack makes a good point.

 

[JakesLeakyWaders]

That is great, didn't we just have a thread about this within this past month. I remember discussing it and saying I would like to see catch & release, along with some other site members.

I will be vigilant and be on the lookout for offenders, I really think the river has been worked over, over the years, and not just from harvesting of fish. A stretch where I live is only fishable in the winter on the York side of the river because of a massive warm water release from Bruner Island. The water is well over 90 degrees in the summer for more than two miles down river from the plant. I believe though just this past year they've implimented cooling steam towers to release some of the hot water into the air as opposed to putting all of the 100+ degree water back into the river.

I tried to wade a shallow section a mile downstream of the plant last year and had to get out my legs were red from the hot water.

Here is the press release from PFBC.

http://www.fishandboat.com/newsreleases/2010press/bass_cr.htm

 

[Maurice]

Here's the dealio.......and I am sure Mike will straighten me out.....but there have been so many weak year classes in a row and the numbers of spawning age bass is so low that every bass of reproduction age is needed to bring the river back. Even if it means no harvest for those that purchase the license to kill fish.

All I can say is what took ya so long.......

 

[LehighRegular]

How about a no-fishing regulation? How about no sewage discharge regulation? How about no storm-water run-off without treatment regulation? There are a lot of actions our govt. might take, but it seems C&R regs are like a finger in the dike

Jack and Jay L

Yes...all that needs to be done. But the other agencies are not willing to go forward because they don't think "there is a problem". So, by the PFBC putting emergency C&R regs out there, this declares a "problem" with the fishery and will hopefully force the DEP and others to step up to the plate.

In addition to what Maurice added too.

Get it???

 

[Mike]

This move had nothing to do with protecting spawning fish. As of last year's population surveys, there are enough adult fish in the main stem and tributaries to produce a large year class anytime spring flows allow and summer conditions are such that mortality from diseases in young-of-the-year (YOY) bass are minimal. Temporarily eliminating harvest, despite a voluntary, nearly C&R fishery already (as determined by the creel survey), and reducing delayed mortality were determined to be the route to take to attempt to maintain the existing fishery (fishery defined as a fish population combined with the angling for that population). This year's adult fish population surveys are ongoing.

 

[JackM]

Won't incidental mortality from C & R also be detrimental? In any case, my point is that it would be better to hold off the cheering until the problem is found. C & R isn't going to do much at all if some pollution source keeps killing and weakening all the fish. I don't want to be just a nay-sayer, but I almost feel like this is a feel-good change without teeth. Find the problem, treat the problem. This barely "treats" the symptom.

 

[LehighRegular]

Temporarily eliminating harvest, despite a voluntary, nearly C&R fishery already (as determined by the creel survey),

Mike

I don't understand why you take Creel Surveys as the "gospel". Predominantely, creel surveys are completed by anglers that show respect for the fishery and care for the resource. Typically, harvesting anglers will not fill out survey information because they fear something they might loose - like the ability to harvest fish.

Creel surveys should be considered but not taken as the end-all-be-all with regards to how much harvest is going on within the fishery.

I say this from experience too.

 

[Mike]

Your critique and, I suspect, that of others, some of whom will probably say the PFBC went too far, some of whom will say it did just the right thing, and others of whom will say it did not go far enough, is the reason for the public comment period. That period is also the time for the public to suggest various " tweaks" to the regulation. Final Commission action will follow that period and a review of the comments received.

 

[LehighRegular]

Won't incidental mortality from C & R also be detrimental?

Jack

Which has a better chance to live... a smallmouth on a stringer or one that is released?

 

[Mike]

This IMO is not the thread to discuss creel survey data or creel surveys. We're sticking with the Susquehanna here, but there are a few points to be made to correct something that was said. Susquehanna anglers and anglers in general are much more open than you may think when discussing their successes and failures with professionals. No creel survey that I have ever mentioned on this Board has involved anglers filling anything out, and that is why I have responded to the comment above: I did not want readers to think that that forms filled out by anglers were part of the technique. All creel surveys that I have discussed on this Board have been direct, one-on-one interviews of anglers in the field along with examination of creeled fish or sub-samples thereof. In fact, I have found that the vast majority of anglers, probably 99%, wish to help us get the best info. available and many go out of their way to be helpful. That included Susquehanna anglers' , whom I would say were particularly interested given the fish disease problem. On top of that, they were glad that we were showing an interest in all fisheries on the river, not just bass. Our interviews involved any species that they sought, caught and released, or caught and kept.