Monthly Archives: May 2012

Feds assure Hoeven on funding for N.D. fish hatcheries

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given its assurance that national fish hatcheries in Garrison and Valley City, N.D., are priorities for funding.

During a meeting Tuesday in Washington with Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Service Director Dan Ashe said the agency plans to seek funding from the Army Corps of Engineers for the hatcheries and will devote the dollars to producing hatchery-raised fish to restock fisheries.

According to a news release from Hoeven’s office, the Corps and Bureau of Reclamation historically have reimbursed the Fish and Wildlife Service for the impacts of Corps projects on water habitats throughout the region. The hatcheries are designed to mitigate those impacts by restocking affected waters. The Corps’ and BOR’s 2013 budget request includes a total of $4.9 million for the Service to produce hatchery-raised fish to restock impacted waters.

Hoeven said the hatcheries are cost-effective, valuable assets in helping to preserve world-class fishing destinations in North Dakota. Hoeven also cited the partnership between the Service and the state Game and Fish Department in operating the hatcheries.

The two agencies share resources and work cooperatively.

“These hatcheries do a tremendous job for sportsmen and women from North Dakota and around the world who enjoy a first-class fishing experience,” Hoeven said in a statement. “The economic impact of North Dakota’s world-class fisheries is in the tens of millions of dollars, employing thousands in the state. The fish hatcheries help to maintain that level of economic activity.”

Catfish and a birch bark canoe

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I’ve been on the road the past few days, a welcome turn of events for anyone covering the outdoors beat.

It’s hard to do the outdoors justice sitting in front of a computer screen, after all.

The first stop on my travels took me to the Northwest Angle, where I interviewed Talon Stammen. A senior about to graduate from Grand Forks Red River High School, Stammen spends every possible moment at the family’s cabin on Lake of the Woods, and last fall, he built a birch bark canoe, gathering all of the materials from the area and even making the traditional tools the natives would have used back in the day.

Before building the canoe, Stammen consulted with a tribal elder who lives on Lake of the Woods. When Stammen explained what he planned to do, the elder responded, “You know they make these in fiberglass now.”

Stammen laughed as he recalled the encounter.

Talon Stammen of Grand Forks paddles Lake of the Woods in the birch bark canoe he built last year.

A story about Stammen’s canoe — which turned out beautifully — and his inspiration for embarking on such an ambitious venture will run on Sunday’s Outdoors pages. In the meantime, here’s a photo of Stammen paddling the canoe.

“It was an incredible experience, and I plan to build many more in the future,” Stammen said. “I would love nothing more than to at least have people appreciate it, if not build one themselves.”

From Lake of the Woods, I ventured west to Lockport, Man., to meet up with a couple of friends for a day of cat fishing on the Red River. Thanks to some much-needed rain, there were no signs of the fires that had threatened portions of southeast Manitoba the previous weekend.

I’ve written about fishing catfish at Lockport many times, and Monday’s excursion on the Red was a pleasure trip. The cats cooperated, and while some of us started slower than others, the three of us finished the day with 58 catfish, including several weighing more than 20 pounds.

I can only imagine trying to land one of those brutes from a birch bark canoe.

Fishing line discarded improperly can be fatal to wildlife

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Spend enough time on the water, and you’ll probably run across a bird that has become entangled in fishing line or those plastic six-pack rings.

Three or four summers ago, I witnessed an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a pelican that had become tangled in monofilament line on the Red River below the Lockport Dam in Manitoba. The bird was along the shore, but attempts to reach it by boat were unsuccessful because the water in that area was too shallow and rocky to navigate by boat.

The pelican, doing what comes naturally, ran farther down the shoreline and soon was out of reach. It also was unable to fly.

We had loaded the boat and were just leaving for home when the incident occurred, so we never did see whether someone along the far shoreline was ultimately able to rescue the bird.

Chances are, though, that the story didn’t have a happy ending.

A news release in my email inbox Thursday triggered my memory of the encounter. I wouldn’t normally run news releases from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, but its message about reducing the risk of birds and other critters becoming entangled is relevant everywhere.

According to the commission, monofilament fishing line and fish hooks that are improperly handled or discarded can entangle animals, leading to injury and even death.

“We often find pelicans that died as a result of monofilament line entanglements hanging from trees and other vegetation,” FWC regional biologist Ricardo Zambrano said in the news release. “These birds often suffer for days before succumbing to injury or starvation.”

To prevent such senseless incidents from occurring, the commission offered the following tips:

n Properly dispose of monofilament line. If you have unwanted line, store it safely and securely until it can be placed in a recycling bin.

n Don’t leave fishing line unattended, as pelicans, seagulls or other fish-eating birds may be tempted to steal your bait.

n Avoid casting near trees, utility lines and other areas where line may get caught.

n Check your tackle frequently for frayed line that may easily break.

If you do accidentally hook a pelican, the release said, you should avoid cutting the line. Easier said than done with a bird the size of a pelican, but it also said you should “gently remove the hook if you feel confident you can do so without causing harm to yourself or the bird.”