Story From: Bassfan.com

With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently allowing fuel companies to increase the amount of ethanol found in gasoline from 10% to 15%, the move could mean more damaged boat engines for unsuspecting owners who use the fuel. Ethanol increases the acidity of the fuel, which in older boats and motors can dissolve fuel tanks and lines, which can in turn ultimately damage, clog and stall engines.

A recent survey conducted by AnglerSurvey.com found most anglers who boat were unaware of the increase in ethanol and the threat the change poses. Asked if they were aware of the increase in permissible ethanol levels, 55.9% of respondents said “no,” while only 41.2% reported being aware of the change.

Asked if they agreed with the change, nearly 60% said “no.” Virtually the same amount of those surveyed said the amount of permissible ethanol should be reduced back to 10%.

“It is important that boaters educate themselves on the specific damage fuels mixed with ethanol can pose to certain boat motors and take steps to minimize harm to their engines,” said Rob Southwick, president of the company that designs and conducts surveys at AnglerSurvey.com, HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com. “Many boaters will simply want to avoid using fuels that include the higher percentage of ethanol and need to pay attention when fueling.”

To check out several articles on ethanol at BoatUS.com, click here.

(L to R: Hayes, Barnes, Collier, Evans, Joyner. Kneeling: Howard)

Danny Hayes showed yet another dominating performance at event number five for the Five County Bassmasters. Originally scheduled for the Tar/Pamlico rivers, the event was moved to Kerr Lake due to the affects of hurricane Irene on the NC coastal rivers. Hayes and team partner Eugene Barnes took home the top spot with a five fish limit of 13.10 pounds. Their kicker fish of 3.29 pounds earned Hayes five bonus points for angler of the year standings. Hayes stated that most of their fish came off of windy points early in the day using top water lures. Once the wind calmed and the top water bite dwindled the team quickly moved to deeper points with stumps.

Taking home the second position with 9.99 pounds was Ed Collier and rookie partner Ethan Howard. Collier noted that the team caught multiple fish throughout the day and was able to cull and upgrade a few different times. Collier also stated that his young partner settled in very nicely and was able to contribute several fish to the teams overall weight. I think we can all look to see Ethan at future events and hopefully as part of our youth club.

Finishing in the third position was the team of Wayne Joyner and Andy Evans with 8.98 pounds. Evans stated that the loss of two quality fish cost the duo some additional weight and at least the runner-up position for the event.

Filling the fourth position was the pairing of Randy Parker and his rookie partner Brock Johnson. Parker and Johnson netted 8.64 pounds for their effort with Johnson contributing to the catch also. Johnson is currently a member of our youth club with Parker being the youth director. Obviously Randy is doing a great job of mentoring to these youth anglers considering the initial performance and the introduction of current youth members Brock Johnson and Max Prince to our club events.

Rounding out the top five included the team of Jeff Narron and Jason Skinner. Narron and Skinner were able to bring 8.18 pounds to the scales for the event.

With only one event remaining in the season the points battle has really tightened up. Jeff Narron and Ed Collier are now tied for the top spot with 459 points each. Tim Gardner follows in the third position with 449 points. Curtis Johnson sits in the fourth position with 445 points and Randy Parker holds the fifth spot with 439 points but is followed very closely by Scottie Braswell in sixth spot with 436 points. Each of these anglers have a mathematical shot at the angler of the year race going into the final event making for one great finish to the season.

Update From NC Wildlife Biologist Chad Tomas:

Oxygen levels continue to remain at 0 milligrams per liter in most of our coastal systems. The fish kills are ending, as most fish within the impacted areas have now died. Decomposition at these water temperatures occurs quickly, and carcasses will be less frequently observed by boaters. Return to normal oxygen levels will only occur as water temperatures cool, and/or if we get some rain (but not tropical storm amounts) to help push the dead water out of the systems. We anticipate this may take several more weeks. We are monitoring the gauges on the Roanoke, and NC State has employed water quality monitors on a few creeks. As oxygen conditions begin a return to more normal conditions I will let you know. In the meantime, anglers should be advised that if they launch in areas where dissolved oxygen levels are very low, and then travel significant distances (or to other systems) to catch fish, any fish released back at the launch will likely die within a few hours. Hopefully fall will come quickly and the major portions of our rivers will be inhabitable by fish again. Our staff will begin post-hurricane fish sampling in late October.

Congress Gives Life to Important Public Lands Bill for Hunters, Fishermen, and Recreational Shooters

Take Action!

The Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act, HR 2834, has been introduced into the 112th Congress. This Act would require all federal land managers to include provisions for fishing, hunting, and recreational shooting in all land management plans. Priority for these popular activities on over 440 million acres, including wilderness and primitive areas on our US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management holdings, will greatly expand and more importantly secure the opportunity to hunt, fish, and shoot on public lands.
This landmark measure recognizes that recreational anglers, hunters (including trapping) and shooters have been and continue to be the foremost supporters and funders of sound fish and wildlife management and conservation in the United States. The bill further highlights that hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting occurs on Federal public lands and waters without adverse effects on other uses or users.
In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act that designated fishing and hunting as priority public uses on Refuge lands in the US. The Refuge Act has solidified hunting and fishing on these public lands and curtailed attempts by anti-hunting groups to stop hunting on traditional wildlife lands. This new Act will extend this protection to other Federal lands. If you would like to review the text of this bill, it is available here.
NC Camo has prepared a short message for you to send to your Congressman or Congresswoman asking him or her to closely follow the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage Act, HR 2834, and to support its passage. Eleven members have already signed on as co-sponsors; our North Carolina delegation should add some co-sponsors too. The time is right for sportsmen to assert their position on the right to hunt and fish on all our public lands.
Take Action Now!

NC Camo Coalition is a project of the NC Wildlife Federation.

Take a look at one of Mother Nature’s amazing after-storm stories. The video says it all!!!

Click for Video.

The Franklin County Community Foundation Board of Directors invites you to

Take a Kid Fishin’

• Saturday, October 1st, RAIN OR SHINE
• Harris Farm
• Mort Harris Road, Louisburg NC
• Games – Prizes – Food!
• No fishing license required
• 1 Adult & 1 or 2 children form a team – $30 per team
• (Food not included in ticket price.)
• Tickets are available at Raymond James Financial Services, Hodges Insurance Agency, Batton & Guin, any FCCF Board member, or at the farm that Saturday.
• Bring your own chair & tackle! (no minnows allowed)
• Open fishing 12 noon to 2:00
• Tournament runs 2:00 to 5:00
• Catch & Release
• Prizes given for largest fish, most fish, and more!
• 100% of your ticket is tax-deductible. All proceeds go to the Franklin County Community Foundation’s unrestricted fund to give grants to area non-profits.

Commission Biologists Say Fish Kills Are Wide Spread and Significant

Source: North Carolina Wildlife (www.ncwildlife.org)

MEDIA CONTACT: Chad Thomas,
Regional Fishery Supervisor
252-335-4961
chad.thomas@ncwildlife.org

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 2, 2011) – Fisheries biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have been assessing fish populations in coastal rivers this week to determine the impacts of low dissolved oxygen following Hurricane Irene.

They have found that with the exception of the Cape Fear River basin, which suffered little impact to its fish populations, many coastal North Carolina rivers are experiencing oxygen levels too low to sustain fish. As oxygen levels remain depressed, biologists expect the fish kills will continue throughout the Labor Day weekend.

“These fish kills, while unfortunate, are naturally occurring events that typically follow a major hurricane,” said Chad Thomas, Coastal Region fisheries supervisor. “Given time, the fish populations in the impacted rivers will recover, as they did after Hurricane Isabel in 2003.”

As of Thursday, the rivers experiencing low dissolved oxygen levels and reported fish kills were:

• Roanoke River, from Williamston downstream to the mouth of the river at Albemarle Sound and adjacent creeks including the Cashie River, with widespread fish kills throughout.
• Chowan River from the North Carolina/Virginia state line to just north of Holiday Island near Edenton and adjacent creeks except the Meherrin River.
• Tar River from Old Sparta to Washington and adjacent creeks with a major fish kill reported in the Greenville area.
• Neuse River from just below Kinston to New Bern and adjacent creeks with widespread fish kills in the New Bern area.
• The Trent, New, White Oak, Newport and Scuppernong rivers.

Biologists report storm water runoff, in conjunction with swamp waters high in organic materials, causes a significant decrease in dissolved oxygen, an element necessary to sustain fish and other aquatic animals.

“It is important to note that low dissolved oxygen is the main culprit in these fish kills, rather than contaminants, pollution or other factors,” Thomas said.

After dissolved oxygen levels begin to recover, Commission staff will evaluate the extent of impacts to fish communities. In October, biologists will use electrofishing equipment to determine the numbers and types of fish that remain within these areas.

“Our assessments will ramp up during spring 2012 to document levels of spawning fish that have returned to impacted areas,” Thomas said. “We will also evaluate the success of native fish reproduction next year by sampling for juvenile fishes in the fall of 2012.”

From these findings, Commission biologists will implement recovery strategies for impacted populations.

“We saw these types of fish kills when Isabel blew through the state back in 2003 and we’ve learned a lot from our experience dealing with storm’s aftermath,” Thomas said. “Past experiences have shown that our coastal river systems are very resilient to tropical events.”

More information on research findings following Hurricane Isabel can be found here.

For many of us living in and around Eastern North Carolina we know too well how a localized hurricane can negatively affect marine life in our rivers and streams. Hurricane Irene was no exception. With field reports showing low to zero oxygen levels within the Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse rivers and their tributaries, a dreaded fish kill is imminent.

“Our biologists reported dissolved oxygen levels of 0 mg/L in all Chowan River creeks north of Holiday Island. Investigations will continue in tributaries of the Tar River (0.5 mg/L) and Neuse River (1.5 mg/L) as flood waters subside in these basins.” – Chad Thomas, Coastal Fisheries Supervisor NCWRC

As we await a final outcome I will post regular updates regarding the effects of hurricane Irene on our coastal rivers as more data is collected and provided by North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) biologists and field staff.

Marine devastation of this magnitude is nothing new to this region as hurricane Isabelle proved in 2003. For more than a week, oxygen levels were near zero in the Roanoke and Chowan rivers resulting in massive fish kills. Through funding from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program, the NCWRC implemented an experimental, multi-phase largemouth bass stocking effort in 2004 to determine whether localized population recovery could be achieved. Annual samples were taken in the affected areas to determine the effectiveness of the restocking program. Links to two reports from this program are below.

• Report A
• Report B

To NC Camo members:
Dick Hamilton, Coordinator of NC Camo Coalition and lobbyist for NC Wildlife Federation, has been deservedly honored by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission for his conservation work. For those of you who know Dick, he would never consider sending out this note given his modest, humble and dedicated approach to the conservation work at hand. However, I am pleased to send out this notice about the honor on behalf of NC Camo and NC Wildlife Federation. All sportsmen and conservationists are fortunate to have Dick working for the sporting traditions and wildlife habitat conservation we all value. Please see the press release about the honor below.

Tim Gestwicki
Executive Director
North Carolina Wildlife Federation

From left to right: David Hoyle (NCWRC Chairman), Dick Hamilton (NCWF Camo Coordinator), and Gordon Myers (NCWRC Executive Director). Photo courtesy Greg Culpepper.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Media contact: Jodie B. Owen
919-707-0187
jodie.owen@ncwildlife.org

Former Wildlife Resources Commission Executive Director Receives Wildlife Conservation Honor

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 25, 2011) – Richard Hamilton, who served the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for 37 years, most notably as the executive director from 2004 to 2007, was honored with the Thomas L. Quay Wildlife Diversity Award at the agency’s business meeting today.

Gordon Myers, executive director of the Commission, presented Hamilton with the award, along with a framed print and plaque.

“The Quay Award recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to wildlife diversity in North Carolina and who are leaders in wildlife conservation,” Myers said.

“Recipients are not recognized only for a single contribution but rather for a series of contributions that reflects a dedication to their vocation and their passion for conserving all species of wildlife in their natural habitats. They are also characterized by their mentorship of others and this year’s recipient, Richard B. Hamilton, embodies all of these qualities.”

While Hamilton’s career at the Wildlife Commission focused mainly on game animal conservation and management, he was the driving force behind many agency actions that benefited nongame animals, such as the formation in 1986 of the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee, an 18-member committee that advises the agency on nongame and endangered wildlife issues across the state.

He also helped initiate the Cardinal Foundation, a non-profit organization that works on behalf of the Wildlife Commission to support charitable, scientific and educational enterprises promoting the conservation and appreciation of wildlife and their habitats in the state.

Among key projects that flourished under Hamilton’s leadership and that now benefit all North Carolinians who appreciate the outdoors are the development of wildlife viewing areas where the public can observe wildlife in their natural habitats and the formation of the N.C. Birding Trail, a partnership project that established a driving trail linking great birding sites across the state.

He led the agency’s efforts for legislative approval of a specialized nongame wildlife vehicle license plate and income tax check-off for taxpayers to designate a portion of their refunds in support of nongame wildlife conservation. To date, the Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Program, which conducts projects on behalf of nongame wildlife, has received nearly $10 million from tax check off donations and license plate purchases.

Perhaps his most significant accomplishment for wildlife in North Carolina was his avid and vocal stance against a proposal by the U.S. Navy to construct an outlying landing field adjacent to the Pocosin Lakes Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina, one of the premiere wintering sites on the East Coast for migratory and resident waterfowl. Due to the tireless tenacity of Hamilton and other conservation leaders to prevent the destruction of this pristine habitat, the U.S. Navy announced in 2008 that it was abandoning plans to build the field.

“In the truest sense of the term, Dr. Quay is a lifetime sportsman, understanding the inherent value of all wildlife and the importance of managing for both game and nongame animals. As testimony, he was one of the first to purchase a sportsman’s license even though he didn’t hunt or fish,” Hamilton said. “While a student, I had a lot of interaction with Dr. Quay, and I saw firsthand his love of wildlife and his contributions to wildlife. For these reasons and many others, I am truly humbled and honored to receive this award.”

Hamilton is the sixth person to receive the honor, which recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to wildlife diversity in North Carolina and who are considered leaders in wildlife resources conservation.

The first recipient was Dr. Quay himself, a retired professor of zoology at N.C. State University and self-described “full-time volunteer and unpaid environmental activist.” Dr. Parnell, professor emeritus of biological sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, received the award in 2007 in recognition of his pioneering research on colonial nesting waterbirds and shorebirds on dredge-material islands. Former Wildlife Commission employee and section manager of the Wildlife Diversity Program, Randall Wilson, received the award in 2008. In 2009, Tom Henson, a retired Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, won the award. George Burdick, a retired professor and former Wildlife Resources Commission employee, received the award in 2010.

NC Camo Coalition is a project of the NC Wildlife Federation.

Message from Chuck Murray – NCBFN President

Guys, I think we need to play it safe on this one. Based on the wind models, it looks like Edenton will see 35-57 mph winds which makes it extremely dangerous. If it shifts 50 miles, we would be in DEEP TROUBLE with almost Hurricane Force wind, So we will CANCEL this tourney for Saturday at the Chowan. One alternative is to move it west such as Kerr but I think it is probably too late to do such a move plus, if it shifts, more trouble. I am sure now that we are canceling it, the weather will be great! (lol) .

This is going to be a hard tourney to make up before the CLASSIC on Gaston Lake on 10/8 and 10/9. I have already got the trophies made etc.., so the CLASSIC is all set!! September 10th is the only time available and I do not know yet which ramp will be available. So I am going to put this out and each person and await your responses will count toward the tally and the most popular is what we will do.

1. Reschedule tourney to 9/10 on the Chowan. Ramp to be determined. The only issue here is a lot of you are fishing the Greenville Marine Classic and there is not much practice time left and there is a BFL that day.

2. Change the format of the Classic. On the Classic dates, Day one will replace this tourney (10/8) and Day 2 (10/9) will be the Classic Championship.

3. Schedule the make up tourney on a Friday, Maybe 9/1 (labor day weekend) (Saturday is dove day!) or 9/9.