Nightie
04-06-2005, 09:21 AM
This is a response to the articles written about fishfarmers that they forgot to print.
If you’re like a lot of other duck hunters who read the Twin Cities newspapers, you believe that the aquaculture industry has severely degraded most of the Minnesota wetlands that produced excellent duck crops only a few decades ago. The headlines read: Fish vs. Fowl, Fish vs. Ducks, Waterfowl vs. Walleyes, etc., and the articles go on to explain that waterfowl researchers have uncovered evidence that the duck decline is, to a significant degree, attributable to use of our wetlands by the aquaculture industry. The problem is, they say, that fish consume the zooplankton (small aquatic animals) that juvenile ducks need for food, resulting in a lower survival rate.
Much of this research has been attributed to Dr. Mark Hanson, wetland wildlife researcher with the Minnesota DNR. But Hanson says his studies are being misinterpreted. “I have never made the link between aquaculture activities and declining duck populations,” he said at a recent meeting of the DNR’s Aquaculture Advisory Committee. “My studies clearly show that fathead minnows reduce zooplankton populations in many wetlands,” he explained, “but I have no evidence that this is the reason for the duck decline.” Hanson also expressed his displeasure with the misuse of his research by the press. “I’m just as frustrated as you are,” he told committee members.
Despite Hanson’s disclaimer, the aquaculture industry is feeling the heat. Fish vs. Fowl,
a recent article by Star-Tribune columnist, Dennis Anderson, detailed how the introduction of sucker minnows by a bait dealer changed a west-central Minnesota wetland from “clear as an alpine stream and filled with aquatic vegetation” to extremely turbid with no vegetation. Gone too were most of the ducks that the lake previously supported.
But why did this lake, which has been used for growing suckers since 1975? suddenly begin to deteriorate in the late 1990s? Phil Koep, who licenses the lake for suckers, believes he know the answer. “The vegetation disappeared because the water level rose 5 feet,” Koep noted. “Weeds can’t grow where sunlight doesn’t reach the lake bottom.”
Another serious problem that Anderson failed to reveal in his expose was the recent appearance of bullheads in the lake. “I’m not sure where they came from,” Koep said, “but there were so many of them in the lake last spring that I had to spend two weeks netting them out before I could do any stocking. Bullheads eat lots of scuds and other duck foods, and they root up the bottom which kills the weeds and muddies up the water. But the worst thing is you can’t get rid of them. When you get a hard freeze out, everything dies – except bullheads.”
Phil Goeden, Co-President of the Minnesota Fish and Bait Farmers Association, also believes that bullheads are the real enemy – for ducks and fish farmers alike. “We’re now having a lot more trouble finding clean lakes,” Goeden says. “Because of interconnectedness of the waters and the lack of freeze-out in recent years, we’re seeing bullheads, carp and green sunfish practically everywhere.”
There is a dnr handout that didn`t get handed out at the duck rally but it went to duck assc.
Use of Wetlands for Walleye and Bait Production
As interest has increased in restoring and improving duck migration and breeding habitats, so too has the awareness of the need to balance the social, ecological and economic uses of Minnesota’s wetlands. This balance means supporting waterfowl conservation as well as managing wetland activities, including walleye-rearing and minnow and baitfish harvesting. Hunting and fishing are huge aspects of Minnesota’s culture. Wetlands play a vital role in both.
Who is using Minnesota’s permanent wetlands?
Minnesota has about 1 million acres of prairie wetlands. The Department of Natural Resources currently utilizes about 350 wetlands totaling about 25,000 acres to raise more than 2 million walleye fingerlings each year for the state’s walleye stocking program.
The aquaculture industry also uses wetlands. The DNR issues licenses to private hatcheries that use wetlands for fish rearing and to minnow dealers for collecting minnows sold for fishing bait. Currently, about 2,050 ponds – also known as permanent wetlands – are licensed for aquaculture use. These ponds cover about 45,574 acres, or less than five percent of the prairie wetlands.
Finally, in addition to wetland use by hunters, trappers, DNR and aquaculture, an increasing number of citizens have built homes on shorelands and other areas near wetlands. Large tracts of wetland shoreline are being sold and divided into smaller lots for rural residential development. This has resulted in more year-round use and frequent disturbances that affect waterfowl use, water quality characteristics and other important habitat features.
What does science say about fish, fowl and unwanted fish species in wetlands?
• Unwanted fish species, including black bullhead, common carp, green sunfish and the fathead minnow, have expanded their range due to the increasing interconnectedness of wetland basins as a result of ditching, tiling and other man-made changes to the landscape. Also, because of recent mild winters and increased basin depth resulting from the consolidation of surface waters, these species are less likely to die from winterkill than in the past. These unwanted fish species can reduce the density of amphipods and other invertebrates, which are important food sources for all ducks and especially young, rapidly growing ducks. Consequently, unwanted fish species are negatives for both the aquaculture industry and duck hunters.
• Recent research concludes that walleye fingerling production in some wetlands is not an inherent detriment to duck production and may even be beneficial in certain instances. This is because young walleyes have the potential to suppress fathead minnow populations. Following fathead reduction, herbivorous zooplankton (tiny crustaceans that eat suspended algae) tend to flourish, reducing density of algae and improving water clarity which increases the distribution and density of rooted aquatic plants.
• Raising walleye fingerlings in wetlands containing dense populations of fathead minnows or the harvest of fathead minnows usually has no adverse effects on quality of wetland habitats for waterfowl.
I hope this info answerd any question..... You better call your Legislator if you think this new bill is the way to go or not
Thanks,
Tom Nightingale.. I write often on the walleye side!
If you’re like a lot of other duck hunters who read the Twin Cities newspapers, you believe that the aquaculture industry has severely degraded most of the Minnesota wetlands that produced excellent duck crops only a few decades ago. The headlines read: Fish vs. Fowl, Fish vs. Ducks, Waterfowl vs. Walleyes, etc., and the articles go on to explain that waterfowl researchers have uncovered evidence that the duck decline is, to a significant degree, attributable to use of our wetlands by the aquaculture industry. The problem is, they say, that fish consume the zooplankton (small aquatic animals) that juvenile ducks need for food, resulting in a lower survival rate.
Much of this research has been attributed to Dr. Mark Hanson, wetland wildlife researcher with the Minnesota DNR. But Hanson says his studies are being misinterpreted. “I have never made the link between aquaculture activities and declining duck populations,” he said at a recent meeting of the DNR’s Aquaculture Advisory Committee. “My studies clearly show that fathead minnows reduce zooplankton populations in many wetlands,” he explained, “but I have no evidence that this is the reason for the duck decline.” Hanson also expressed his displeasure with the misuse of his research by the press. “I’m just as frustrated as you are,” he told committee members.
Despite Hanson’s disclaimer, the aquaculture industry is feeling the heat. Fish vs. Fowl,
a recent article by Star-Tribune columnist, Dennis Anderson, detailed how the introduction of sucker minnows by a bait dealer changed a west-central Minnesota wetland from “clear as an alpine stream and filled with aquatic vegetation” to extremely turbid with no vegetation. Gone too were most of the ducks that the lake previously supported.
But why did this lake, which has been used for growing suckers since 1975? suddenly begin to deteriorate in the late 1990s? Phil Koep, who licenses the lake for suckers, believes he know the answer. “The vegetation disappeared because the water level rose 5 feet,” Koep noted. “Weeds can’t grow where sunlight doesn’t reach the lake bottom.”
Another serious problem that Anderson failed to reveal in his expose was the recent appearance of bullheads in the lake. “I’m not sure where they came from,” Koep said, “but there were so many of them in the lake last spring that I had to spend two weeks netting them out before I could do any stocking. Bullheads eat lots of scuds and other duck foods, and they root up the bottom which kills the weeds and muddies up the water. But the worst thing is you can’t get rid of them. When you get a hard freeze out, everything dies – except bullheads.”
Phil Goeden, Co-President of the Minnesota Fish and Bait Farmers Association, also believes that bullheads are the real enemy – for ducks and fish farmers alike. “We’re now having a lot more trouble finding clean lakes,” Goeden says. “Because of interconnectedness of the waters and the lack of freeze-out in recent years, we’re seeing bullheads, carp and green sunfish practically everywhere.”
There is a dnr handout that didn`t get handed out at the duck rally but it went to duck assc.
Use of Wetlands for Walleye and Bait Production
As interest has increased in restoring and improving duck migration and breeding habitats, so too has the awareness of the need to balance the social, ecological and economic uses of Minnesota’s wetlands. This balance means supporting waterfowl conservation as well as managing wetland activities, including walleye-rearing and minnow and baitfish harvesting. Hunting and fishing are huge aspects of Minnesota’s culture. Wetlands play a vital role in both.
Who is using Minnesota’s permanent wetlands?
Minnesota has about 1 million acres of prairie wetlands. The Department of Natural Resources currently utilizes about 350 wetlands totaling about 25,000 acres to raise more than 2 million walleye fingerlings each year for the state’s walleye stocking program.
The aquaculture industry also uses wetlands. The DNR issues licenses to private hatcheries that use wetlands for fish rearing and to minnow dealers for collecting minnows sold for fishing bait. Currently, about 2,050 ponds – also known as permanent wetlands – are licensed for aquaculture use. These ponds cover about 45,574 acres, or less than five percent of the prairie wetlands.
Finally, in addition to wetland use by hunters, trappers, DNR and aquaculture, an increasing number of citizens have built homes on shorelands and other areas near wetlands. Large tracts of wetland shoreline are being sold and divided into smaller lots for rural residential development. This has resulted in more year-round use and frequent disturbances that affect waterfowl use, water quality characteristics and other important habitat features.
What does science say about fish, fowl and unwanted fish species in wetlands?
• Unwanted fish species, including black bullhead, common carp, green sunfish and the fathead minnow, have expanded their range due to the increasing interconnectedness of wetland basins as a result of ditching, tiling and other man-made changes to the landscape. Also, because of recent mild winters and increased basin depth resulting from the consolidation of surface waters, these species are less likely to die from winterkill than in the past. These unwanted fish species can reduce the density of amphipods and other invertebrates, which are important food sources for all ducks and especially young, rapidly growing ducks. Consequently, unwanted fish species are negatives for both the aquaculture industry and duck hunters.
• Recent research concludes that walleye fingerling production in some wetlands is not an inherent detriment to duck production and may even be beneficial in certain instances. This is because young walleyes have the potential to suppress fathead minnow populations. Following fathead reduction, herbivorous zooplankton (tiny crustaceans that eat suspended algae) tend to flourish, reducing density of algae and improving water clarity which increases the distribution and density of rooted aquatic plants.
• Raising walleye fingerlings in wetlands containing dense populations of fathead minnows or the harvest of fathead minnows usually has no adverse effects on quality of wetland habitats for waterfowl.
I hope this info answerd any question..... You better call your Legislator if you think this new bill is the way to go or not
Thanks,
Tom Nightingale.. I write often on the walleye side!