Ozark Hellender Restoration

[MoCarp]

I have heard state people have been tasked with location of existing Hellbender populations and stable habitat for restoration 

gigging of theses critters has been an issue back in the day (have had friends tell me as such)

you can kiss off gigging (jet boats too) where they re-establish them..big time federal $$$$ so bend over its happening

[Harps]

Has there been a determination as to what caused the decline? Most of the streams that they inhabit are pretty stable environments, but something apparently changed. Climate change shouldn't have anything to do with it because they inhabit both streams that have a rather stable temperature (primarily spring fed) as well as streams that vary in temp with the seasons. Some chemical element perhaps? A few of the streams have remote watersheds with little human influence it would seem, while some watersheds have a great deal of human influence.

[Smalliebigs]

I have seen some very big ones in the Niangua and I saw a monster one in the Big Piney once.....very cool looking critters

[Gavin]

They have a bunch of them at the St. Louis Zoo. Know a lady who works on the program. She says they have some kind of fungus, and they get poached allot for the asian pet trade. More info here.

https://www.stlzoo.org/about/contact/pressroom/presskit/world-s-first-captive-hellbender-breeding/

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/saint-louis-zoo-shares-secrets-salamander-love-hellbender-symposium#stream/0

 

 

[MoCarp]

disease, habitat degradation, mans actions on there habitat, boats, gravel intrusion..even things like moving rocks around....

they are raising them at the hatchery below TR dam...st louis zoo has been heading this they even microchip them even

its my understanding that you will be seeing some restriction in some streams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8iamcw9gmQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSgTXAn-Fq4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxgcR2RSfXY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufA8ZjsUhQw

 

[Seth]

We saw a bunch of them on the Meramec near Steeleville a few weeks ago.most looked to be 12-15” long, but onelooked like it was twice that long. It was the biggest one I had ever seen. Funny you mention that about gigging because I always saw a lot of them near Vienna on the Gasconade and that place got absolutely hammered by giggers. Those are the only two places I recall ever seeing them in a decent amount though.

[Gavin]

Don't tell where you find them. They get poached for the pet trade.

[Quillback]

I have never heard any of the bios associated with hellbender restoration name gigging as a reason for the decline.  I see no reason to restrict gigging on streams containing hellbenders.  Poachers that are capturing them to sell in the illegal pet market aren't going to gig them for obvious reasons. 

[Harps]

3 hours ago, MoCarp said:

its my understanding that you will be seeing some restriction in some streams

 

What is your source for this information?

[MoCarp]

2 hours ago, Harps said:

What is your source for this information?

Ill see if I can find a recommendations list......