Every month, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission hosts a webinar series known as “Wild Science” to showcase science-based projects conducted to inform management and conservation of the state’s natural resources, and this month’s episode includes a research project on an issue affecting the Twin Lakes Area. Game and Fish Mountain Home office regional fisheries supervisor Jeremy Risley opened the show with his presentation titled “Consequences of Summer Kills on Management of Striped Bass on Norfork Lake.”
Risley says the commission has been dealing with striped bass’ survival issues in the summer for a long time, and he says the research findings show a relation with high water levels in Norfork Lake.
Listen:
Risley worked on the research project with Game and Fish biologists Paul Port and Cody Wyatt, along with Alex Beezel, Dr. Quinton Phelps and Hae Kim of Missouri State University in Springfield. One thing the research team was unable to determine is the number of striped bass lost in summer kills. Risley says in mid-to-late summer, most striped bass move to the Norfork Dam area and inhabit a pocket of deep water with oxygen and the right temperature to survive.
Listen:
Risley says another reason their unable to determine the number of dead and dying striped bass is they don’t always float to the surface. Some sink to the bottom, some get caught in the dam, and others decompose before Game and Fish personnel have an opportunity to retrieve them.
At this time, Risley says he and his research partners have been unable to come up with a solution to address this issue.
Listen:
For more information on striped bass in Norfork Lake, contact Game and Fish’s Mountain Home office at 870-425-7577.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI