Releases – October 11, 2018
Fisheries biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission continue to document widespread fish kills in eastern North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Florence.
The fish kills are the result of significant declines in dissolved oxygen. As of October 5, the rivers experiencing low dissolved oxygen levels and reported fish kills are:
(1) Cape Fear River from Tar Heel to Southport
(2) Sutton Lake near Wilmington
(3) Northeast Cape Fear River from Kenansville to Wilmington
(4) Black River from Garland to the Cape Fear River
(5) South River from Garland to the Black River
(6) Lumber River from Lumberton into South Carolina
(7) Waccamaw River from the headwaters into South Carolina
(8) Pungo River upstream of Belhaven
(9) Neuse River from Goldsboro to Fort Barnwell
(10) Contentnea Creek downstream of Hookerton
(11) Trent River from Pleasant Hill downstream to the mouth at New Bern
(12) White Oak River from the headwaters to Stella
(13) Cashie River from Windsor to the mouth at Albemarle Sound
(14) Roanoke River downstream of Highway 45 to the mouth at Albemarle Sound
(15) Chowan River upstream of Winton
Many other rivers and streams, canals, lakes, and private ponds in eastern North Carolina have also experienced dissolved oxygen declines and smaller, isolated fish kills.
As oxygen levels remain depressed, biologists expect the fish kills will persist for several more weeks.
“These fish kills, while unfortunate, are naturally occurring events that typically follow a major hurricane,” said Chad Thomas the Commission’s Coastal Region fishery supervisor. “Like we saw with Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Isabel in 2003, low dissolved oxygen is the main culprit in these fish kills, rather than contaminants, pollution, or other factors.”
Fish absorb oxygen from the water through their gills, and background oxygen levels of 5-6 ppm (parts per million) or higher are considered optimal for most species. Flood waters associated with Hurricane Florence inundated vast areas of swamp habitats that were naturally much lower in dissolved oxygen. As water levels recede, a flushing effect occurs. The result is a significant drop in dissolved oxygen in the mainstem rivers and creeks. When oxygen levels decline to 2 ppm, fish will become lethargic and often gasp at the surface.
“Many river basins have become anoxic, meaning they contain little if any dissolved oxygen,” Thomas said. “Numerous strandings of fish on roadways and adjacent to various water bodies have also been observed following substantial flooding.”
As water levels return to normal and water temperatures begin to cool, Thomas expects dissolved oxygen levels to gradually recover. Commission biologists will continue to monitor the affected water bodies through November to get a better understanding of the extent and severity of the fish kills. Next spring, they will sample the waters to determine fish species composition and abundance so they can determine strategies for recovery of fish stocks.
“These coastal systems are resilient, and with time, the fish populations in the impacted waters will recover, as they did after Hurricane Irene in 2011,” Thomas said.
For the upcoming harvest season, a new size limit will be in place for inland waters within the Central-Southern Striped Bass Management Area, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission announced.
During the harvest season, which opens October 1 and runs until April 30, 2019, the minimum size limit for striped bass is 26 inches and two fish can be kept per day/per angler.
Inland waters in the Central-Southern Striped Bass Management Area covered by this new regulation include: (1) Tar-Pamlico River and tributaries from Rocky Mount Mill Dam downstream to Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge at Washington; (2) Neuse River and tributaries from Falls Lake Dam downstream to Pitchkettle Creek; (3) Pungo River upstream of the U.S. 264 bridge at Leechville; and (4) all other unlisted inland waters of coastal rivers and tributaries in the Central-Southern Management Area, except Cape Fear River and tributaries.
Striped bass are stocked annually into the Tar and Neuse rivers at a rate of 100,000 fish per river. These hatchery fish are raised to an advanced size prior to stocking, usually 6-8 inches. The objectives of these stockings are to supplement wild populations and help bolster natural production, according to Chad Thomas, coastal fisheries supervisor with the Commission.
“Unfortunately, this objective is not being met,” Thomas said. “Formal evaluations conducted since 2010, with the assistance of genetic testing, confirmed that nearly all the striped bass adults collected from spawning grounds of the Tar and Neuse rivers were hatchery fish.”
Biologists hope the new 26-inch minimum size limit will give these hatchery fish additional protection to allow them to spawn multiple times prior to harvest. Larger, older striped bass contain significantly more and larger eggs. The idea is to increase egg production on the spawning grounds with the intention of observing recruitment of wild (non-hatchery) fish in these river systems.
“While we know this rule is frustrating to many of our anglers who like to keep fish, this is a conservation measure aimed to promote production of wild striped bass in the Tar and Neuse rivers,” Thomas said. “Currently, these river populations are considered fully supported by hatchery fish, which is counter to our management goal of having self-sustaining populations of striped bass in these rivers.”
Advances in genetic technologies now allow Commission biologists to calculate the percentage of hatchery fish returning to the Tar and Neuse rivers each spring. During field sampling, a small fin clip is removed from each fish prior to release, and genetic comparisons are then made with all known broodfish parents used during hatchery production.
“Genetic testing is absolute and allows us to calculate the percentage of hatchery fish each year,” Thomas said. “We will closely monitor the effectiveness of this new regulation and recommend modifications if management objectives are not being met.”
For more information about fishing in inland, public waters, visit www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.
CCA North Carolina would like to join North Carolina Backcountry Hunters & Anglers in supporting TIP IT FORWARD Hurricane Florence Relief.
TIP IT FORWARD is a person-to-person direct outreach platform seeking to aid North Carolina fishing and hunting guides with swift financial aid. To TIP IT FORWARD, simply send a check for one day’s tip (about 20 percent of the charter fee) to a hunting or fishing guide that’s provided you with an awesome trip in the past or one you know of through friends and family.
You should have their contact info, but if you don’t, Google does. This is simple, quick, straightforward, and desperately needed.
Then, if convenient, share a photo of your day as a post to @ncbha and @cca_nc on Instagram and hashtag the post as #tipitforward #ncguides #ncbha #ncbackcountry #ccanc #cca #ncbackwaters #northcarolina #hurricaneflorence. This isn’t necessary, but it will help spread the word and send the #TIPITFORWARD campaign viral. The guides can use it for roofing nails, generator gas, diapers for their children, or any other pressing need.
“This storm has had an immediate impact on fishing and hunting guides and their families and livelihoods, as well as a lasting impact, and we wanted to respond to guides immediately and directly as well,” said T. Edward Nickens, a national board member of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and editor-at-large for Field & Stream magazine. “This is a great way to lend a hand right now, directly to folks who have helped so many of us sharpen our passions for the North Carolina coast.”
TIP IT FORWARD is a social media campaign spearheaded by the North Carolina Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers in cooperation with partners in the media, retail, and conservation space. Thank you in advance for your support in helping our NC hunting and fishing guides weather the storm.
For more information on how you can help with the clean-up and recovery of our coastal communities, please contact CCA at david@ccanc.org.
