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Volume 26, No. 1 1 IOWA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY NEWSLETTER LATERAL LINES Fisheries Management – Boy/Girl Has It Ever Changed! Marion Conover Dipping bullhead schools, spud cess to the pond. These pond bars, rough fish control crew, agreements have long since ex- maintenance stocking 2-inch cat- pired as the ponds aged and new fish, outlet barriers on natural lakes came on line. lakes, sodium cyanide as a fish toxi- cant; Sound familiar? I doubt it, Trout country was dominated by unless you were in this business 40 privately owned streams. A push in the mid 70’s and early 80’s was years ago. made through the Open Spaces In 1970 we piloted the cage catfish Program to acquire coldwater program at Browns Lake near streams. Thousands of acres of Sioux City and Clear Lake. Each coldwater stream watershed acres location anchored two cages and and tens of miles of streams were fed the fish summer long. The pi- acquired. This effort continues lot worked so well that we ap- today although the emphasis now proached the CCB’s and were suc- cessful in expanding the program as we now know it to at least 25 farm ponds but public lake fishing INSIDE THIS ISSUE: was limited to a few lakes. New counties. This move to cage cat- WORDS FROM THE CHIEF 1-2 fish was a result of the realization lakes constructed since then in- FISH HABITAT GRANTS 3 that the history of maintenance clude Big Creek Lake, Saylorville stocking 2-inch catfish into estab- Lake, Lake Rathbun, Brushy Creek PRESIDENT’S CORNER 4 lished populations was not work- Lake, Volga Lake, Lake Icaria, 2009 MEETING 5 ing. Ernie Thune pioneered the art Twelve Mile Lake, Three Mile Lake, ANNOUNCEMNT of jar hatching channel catfish fry Little River Lake, Belva Deer Lake, TOM GENGERKE: and rearing them to 2-inch finger- Lake Sugema, Badger Creek Lake, MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD 6-7 Beaver Lake, Bacon Creek Lake, ling size at the Humboldt Fish 2008 ANNUAL BUSINESS 8-9 Hatchery. Unfortunately most of and Fogle Lake to name just a few. MEETING MINUTES these fish were wasted in the futile Public flat water was so limited 2008 FEBRUARY EXCOM throughout most of Iowa that it 10 attempt to sustain channel catfish MINUTES was common to write a manage- fisheries in our public lakes. 2008 SEPTEMBER EXCOM ment agreement with a private 10-11 Speaking of lakes, most all the flat pond owner whereby we managed MINUTES water in the state in 1970 existed his private pond as we would a HAPPENINGS AT ISU 11 in our northwest natural lakes public lake in return for public ac- FISH HABITAT GRANT 12 area. Southern Iowa had plenty of APPLICATION Volume 26, No. 1 2 Marion Conover Continued: is acquisition of easements for pub- proving poor fishing and water hatcheries at Manchester, Fairport lic access and management instead quality would have to wait until the and Guttenberg were turned over of fee title. Our trout program advent of the EPA Clean Lakes to the state in fee title. Outlying consisted largely of put-and-take Program in the mid 80’s. fish production ponds at Beeds rainbow and brown trout stocking Lake, Pine Lakes, and Lanesboro and some put-and-grow brown If you asked someone in 1970 to were abandoned. The Rathbun trout streams. We had no special describe an invasive they would Fish Hatchery was completed in regulation streams and no streams probably say it was a spy from Rus- 1975. It was in the mid 70’s when with documented natural repro- sia. No work was directed to- the bulk of the land management duction. There was no effort to wards freshwater mussels. Caviar functions were turned over to the bring back our native brook trout came from overseas. There were Wildlife Bureau. Along with that fishery. Fly fishing was truly an no lists of threatened or endan- responsibility went the transfer of oddity. All stockings were unan- gered species. heavy equipment and personnel nounced. I still chuckle when I re- The fishing public has changed im- from Fisheries. call the four cars that followed my mensely since 1970. Catfish and Our personnel have changed im- 2 ½ ton stocking truck all the way bullheads reigned supreme. Ice from Waukon to Osage one day in mensely in the past 40 years. Col- fishing was almost unheard of out- lege degreed staff only existed in 1970 on highway 9. They turned side of the natural lakes and Upper around as I left trout country not research. Look at the title of this Mississippi River. There were no article. Affirmative action meant knowing I was hauling adult north- fishing tournaments and few organ- ern pike stripped out brood stock acting positively on a matter. The ized fishing clubs. Catch-and- first woman hired in the field was from our Lansing Fish Hatchery to release meant throwing back a fish Hickory Grove Lake in Story Karen Grimes as a technician at that was too small to eat. Email Mt. Ayr. Today we have eight County! and blog were terms not yet in- women at three levels working vented and chat rooms were Lake restoration meant killing out right along side men. the fish community and starting places where people congregated over. No matter of attention was to talk. Communication with the These are but a few of the changes given to the watershed and little fishing public was face-to-face or that have taken place in the last more to the in-lake habitat. by letter or phone. two generations. Good work was accomplished by those that pre- Dredging was regarded as a money It was in the early to mid 70’s pit and of little benefit to improv- ceded us. The emphasis was differ- when a major renovation of the ent as were many of the tools. ing lake conditions. The idea of a Fisheries Bureau took place. Prior comprehensive approach to im- Today the fishing public is blessed to that time fisheries and wildlife with a team of 94 dedicated fisher- research were combined into one ies professionals with loads of tal- section. There was one fisheries ent. They are using the latest tools management biologist who cov- and best science to improve fishing ered all of southern Iowa from Council Bluffs to Davenport. Cold opportunities in Iowa. Springs, Lake Darling, Manchester and Spirit Lake were established as regional offices and eleven 6 to 10 county management areas were created. Three management sta- tions were created on the Missis- sippi River. Lansing, Humboldt, and Lake Wapello fish hatcheries were closed and former federal Volume 26, No. 1 3 Newsletter of the Iowa Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Volume 26, Number 1 Chapter Officers Committee Charipersons PRESIDENT SECRETARY/TREASURER Audit ..........................................Mark Winn J. Alan Johnson Kim Hawkins Rathbun Fish Culture Research Membership ........................Mike Hawkins Northwest Regional Office-Spirit Lake 15053 Hatchery Place 122 252nd Ave Resolutions...............................Don Herrig Moravia, IA 52571 Spirit Lake, IA 51360 641/647-2406; FAX 641/647-2690 712/336/1840; 712/336/0921 REAP.............................................Ben Dodd Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Continuing Education…….....Clay Pierce PRESIDENT-ELECT MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Student Affairs ........................Mike Quist Bryan Hayes Mike Hawkins Southwest Regional Office—Lewis Nominations..........................Donna Muhm Northwest Regional Office-Spirit Lake 57744 Lewis Rd 1122 252nd Ave. REAP…………………………Ben Dodd Lewis, IA 51444-5103 Spirit Lake, IA 51360 Email: [email protected] 712/336-1840; 712/336-0921 Best Paper .............................Kim Hawkins Email [email protected] FISH HABITAT GRANTS 2008 GRANT AWARDS: Dan Kirby - Little Turkey Trout Stream Restoration Travis Neebling/Scott Gritters - RFIS Mussel Study— Antennae and RFID tags 2009 Fish Habitat Grant applications are due August 1, 2009. Please send/email completed application to: PRESIDENT J. Alan Johnson Rathbun Fish Culture Research 15053 Hatchery Place Moravia, IA 52571 641/647-2406; FAX 641/647-2690 Email: [email protected] Volume 26, No. 1 4 PRESIDENT’S CORNER—Alan Johnson I didn’t have to dig deeply into pre- answer a well organized set of ciety contributions of job candi- vious editions of our chapter questions relevant to the hiring of dates reinforces the importance of newsletter to find a Presidents the next Fisheries Chief. This AFS in shaping the future of fisher- Corner about change. However, I grass roots level engagement is ies. It also sets a great example to think it is a subject on our minds as further reminder that we all make our membership. the winds of change are blowing on an important contribution to Iowa a national level. We voted. Now fish and fishing It is however, only one stave in the we watch the news and see barrel of characteristics of the per- changes in the direction of our na- I would guess that many of us son who will carry the water for tion. would envision similar characteris- our bureau and Iowa’s fisheries for tics: a person who has pulled a years to come. It will be exciting Closer to home our Fisheries Bu- seine or a crank bait to sample a to see what comes of our partici- reau Chief – Marion Conover – fish population; someone with a pation in the process. will soon retire from a successful science background who can talk career that culminated as the lead to the public and politicians with On the horizon: I look forward advocate for Iowa’s fisheries. We credibility; a depth of knowledge to seeing all of you at the upcom- will certainly miss his presence at that will keep our agency on track ing annual meeting to be held in the top, his dedication to Iowa’s through the challenging times Ames in conjunction with The fisheries, and his support of our ahead.

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