Oregon Chub Recovery

 Oregon chub, which are found exclusively in Oregon's Willamette Valley, were listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act in 1993. In 2014, they qualified for delisting under the Act, the first fish in the United States to achieve this status.

 An inconspicuous minnow that inhabits the backwaters of the Willamette Valley gained national prominence when it became the first fish in the United States meet its recovery goals under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Oregon chub are likely one of Oregon’s least known fish species because of their size and where they are found.  Oregon chub are small; they reach a maximum length of three inches, and they are not targeted by anglers as sport or food fish.

Over the past 100 years, many of these habitats were destroyed by the construction of dams, channelization of streams and draining of wetlands. These habitat losses, combined with the introduction of non-native fish that preyed on and competed with chubs for food, resulted in a sharp decline in their abundance.

“Oregon chub are like the ultimate underdogs,” said Paul Scheerer, ODFW Oregon Chub Project leader, who has devoted the past 22 years of his professional life to recovering the tiny fish. “Not many people know what they’re looking at when they see one, including some biologists.”

When Oregon chub were listed as “endangered” under the ESA in 1993 the population had declined to under 1,000 fish in eight known locations, down from at least 29 locations historically.

The listing triggered a multi-agency campaign to recover the Oregon Chub population. The now 22-years-long recovery program included better monitoring, working with landowners to secure new habitat, improving floodplain management and transplanting fish to more than 20 new locations.

When a multi-agency task force known as the Oregon Chub Working Group met in 2012 to review the numbers they concluded the populations were large, stable and dispersed enough to warrant a closer look at delisting the fish.  A follow-up review of the numbers a second time, in 2013, confirmed their earlier finding – the populations had grown to approximately 160,000 fish in 83 locations.

Under the criteria set in the Oregon Chub Recovery Plan there needed to be at least 20 populations of at least 500 adults, with each population stable or increasing in abundance for seven years. In addition, these populations needed to be dispersed with at least four populations each in three Oregon river basins – the Middle Fork Willamette, Santiam, and main stem Willamette.

Recovery was also due to the efforts of the Oregon Chub Working Group, which was formed in 1992, with representatives from the FWS, ODFW, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon State Parks, Oregon State University, the McKenzie River Trust, Grand Ronde Tribe and others.

The Oregon chub (Oregonichthys crameri) is one of several chub species in Oregon.  Two of them – Borax Lake chub and Hutton tui chubs – are protected under the ESA. Others, including Alvord chub, blue chub, Umpqua chub, and several additional subspecies of tui chub, are not listed.

For more information, visit ODFW’s Oregon chub webpage.

Wisconsin Brook Trout Distribution Predictions

The distribution of brook trout, which requires cold water for survival, could shrink by 60 percent in some Wisconsin streams by mid-century, according to recent climate change models for the Great Lakes region.

Loss of suitable freshwater habitat for brook trout and other popular sport fish species due to climate change are likely to have economic implications for the Great Lakes system.

Recreational fishing opportunities in the region contribute to a multi-billion dollar tourism and recreation industry.

Climate change models for the Great Lakes system are being made by researchers with U.S. Geological Survey, alongside Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Michigan Institute of Fisheries Research, and Michigan State University.

Researchers hope to predict the potential impacts of increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation on water temperature and flow in freshwater streams that are part of the Great Lakes system.

The models project future distributions for 14 fish species based on known fish locations, their habitat preferences, their adaptability to different water temperatures, existing and future stream conditions, and projected climatic changes.

source: greatlakeslcc.org

New York Northern Snakehead Monitoring

During recent electrofishing surveys no significant changes have been observed in catch rates for northern snakeheads and other resident fish species of Meadow and Willow Lakes in New York state.

Staff from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 4 and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection assisted with the Willow Lake survey which yielded eight snakeheads.

The largest northern snakehead captured during the surveys was over 32 inches in length and weighed nearly 12 pounds.

source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Bureau of Fisheries Annual Report 2012-2013

National Wildlife Refuge Ice Fishing

A number of national wildlife refuges in the USA have areas for ice fishing. The following list includes some of the best national wildlife refuges in the USA where anglers can experience ice fishing:

ALASKA
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

IOWA
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

MICHIGAN
Seney National Wildlife Refuge

MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN, IOWA, ILLINOIS
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

NEBRASKA
Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge

NEW YORK
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Vermont Ice Fishing Festival

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is encouraging anglers in Vermont to attend an upcoming free fishing day ice fishing festival. The event will be held January 25 at the Larrabee Point Fishing Access Area on Lake Champlain in Shoreham.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff and experienced volunteer ice fishing enthusiasts will be there from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. to help everyone, young and old, learn how to enjoy this unique and popular type of fishing.

For more information, contact Nicole Corrao by calling 802-318-1347 or Nicole.Corrao@state.vt.us.

source: Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department