Saturday, February 28, 2009

ALABAMA FISHERIES SECTION ASKS ANGLERS FOR SOUTHERN WALLEYE INFORMATION

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Fisheries Section need helps from Alabama anglers in its quest to gain information about the southern walleye.

Numbers of this distinct strain of walleye have diminished to the point that Fisheries biologists have initiated a plan to try to locate fish and establish a brood stock at Marion Fish Hatchery.

Fisheries biologists have attempted to collect southern walleye for the project with only limited success.

Only eight males were collected in the latest sampling effort at Hatchet Creek, a Coosa River tributary that runs into Lake Mitchell. The southern walleye strain is limited to Alabama and Mississippi, and populations have significantly declined in the last decade, likely because of changes to flowing waters and siltation.

"We're asking anglers to let us know if they catch a walleye," said Steve Rider, aquatic resources coordinator with Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

"If they could take a fin clip about the size of a thumbnail, we can take the tissue and determine if it is the southern walleye strain. We are looking for any information that would help us concentrate our collection efforts."

If they catch a walleye and want to keep it alive to donate to the hatchery that would be the best-case scenario."Anglers who wish to donate a live fish or a fin clipping should contact the Fisheries Section at 334-242-3471.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR visit www.outdooralabama.com.

Source: Fishing Wire

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