Trout Kill At Bennett Springs

[Daddy Carp]

Here is a piece I just came across, thought you might enjoy if you haven't already seen it.

MDC WEBSITE

Special measures sustain fishing at Bennett Spring State Park in spite of flood losses

Transferring fish between hatcheries enables the Missouri Department of Conservation to maintain quality trout fishing at all four trout parks and at trout fishing areas around the state, in spite of temporary setbacks like the flood at Bennett Spring State Park in August. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Anglers saw no change in their success, thanks to an infusion of fish from other Conservation Department hatcheries.

LEBANON, Mo.- To the casual observer, it looks like a typical October at Bennett Spring State Park.

On any day, a heavy sprinkling of anglers can be found along the stream that dissects the popular trout park, trying to squeeze in a few final fishing trips before the regular fishing season closes Oct. 31.

The number of rainbow trout slicing through the stream’s clear waters is about the same as it is throughout the summer. The water level is about normal for this time of year.

However, this normalcy follows an anything-but-normal late summer for the staff at Bennett Spring Hatchery and the state park, which straddles the Laclede-Dallas county line and is managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

An August flood at the park killed thousands of rainbow trout in the hatchery’s rearing pools and forced the staff to look elsewhere for fish. Sixteen-thousand rainbows from Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery in Taney County are supplementing Bennett’s end-of-the-season trout supply.

In the months ahead, the Bennett Spring Hatchery and the other state-operated trout-rearing facilities will return the favor by shipping a similar number of trout to Shepherd of the Hills. Most of the fish are destined for stocking at Lake Taneycomo.

This trout-trading is an example of the cooperation involved in Missouri’s trout management. Just as important to Bennett Spring Hatchery Manager Mike Mitchell, it has allowed fishing as usual at Bennett.

“Fishing at Bennett Spring should not be impacted at all for the remainder of this year or next year,” Mitchell said. “The mortality suffered during this event was not devastating, but merely a bump in the road.”

A different tale was being told by stories that began circulating over the Internet and through trout fishing circles following the August 20th downpour. They spoke of a drastic trout die-off and bemoaned the impact this would have on the park for years to come. As is the case with many run-away rumors, these stories contained kernels of truth: Bennett Spring had been hit with significant flash-flooding that caused a trout die-off larger than had occurred at any Department of Conservation trout hatchery in a number of years.

This mortality resulted from a rainbow trout’s somewhat sensitive physiological make-up and the confined water component that’s part of a hatchery’s trout-rearing system.

“Trout are a coldwater species, which means they require cool water temperatures which con tain higher oxygen in the water,” Mitchell said. “In flood events, the oxygen levels in the water are decreased by high silt loads and warm water.”

These lower oxygen levels compound the stress for a trout, which increases its production of ammonia. Reduced oxygen and increased ammonia can prove fatal for trout.

Mitchell said everything about the rain-drenched park was counter-productive to trout survival.

“This particular event was not just a flood, but a flood which rose very quickly, was very turbid and had water temperatures that were above normal levels for more than an hour,” he said. “All these factors came together to produce a very inhospitable environment for trout.”

However, the trout fatalities didn’t match the level of tragedy that was being circulated on the Internet. Mitchell estimates that less than 10 percent of the hatchery’s trout died as a result of the flooding. At this time of year, Bennett Spring Hatchery holds between 600,000 and 700,000 trout of various sizes. Even though thousands of fish died, the loss only put a small dent in Bennett’s overall rainbow population.

Nevertheless, due to Bennett Spring’s heavy angler traffic, it was a situation that called for immediate help. Conservation Department hatchery workers moved thousands of near-stocker sized trout (nearly 12 inches) from Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery near Branson to Bennett Spring to meet daily stocking needs through October. This winter, the Bennett Spring Hatchery will repay the favor by providing trout for stocking at Lake Taneycomo.

Fisheries Field Operations Chief Chris Vitello says these efforts are “behind the scenes” and should not be evident to anglers.

“There will be some movement of fish between hatcheries over the next few months,” he said. “Staff may also adjust feeding rates slightly to encourage accelerated growth in limited cases and to meet the need for stocker-sized fish across the system. Overall, the impacts from the loss of fish at Bennett will be absorbed by our hatchery system with minimal impact.”

Vitello said this is one of several examples of how Missouri Department of Conservation hatcheries act in a concerted effort with each other, with other states and with federal operations.

“Moving fish between hatcheries and sharing stocking assignments to minimize transportation costs are good examples of how our coldwater system works as a unit,” he said. He said hatcheries also routinely hold brood stock, gather eggs and raise fingerlings at one hatchery and then move fingerlings to other hatcheries for rearing. State hatcheries also work with Neosho National Fish Hatchery to stock additional rainbow trout in Lake Taneycomo.

“This flexibility allows us to respond to incidents such as the recent loss of fish at Bennett in a timely and efficient manner. Recently completed and ongoing renovations and upgrades at our coldwater hatcheries will improve this flexibility over the next few years.”

Anglers are reminded that, while the regular portion of the fishing season at the state’s four trout parks is drawing to a close, fishing at these facilities isn’t finished for the year. The winter season at the trout parks opens Nov. 9 and runs through Feb. 11. This season is for catch-and-release fishing only - no trout may be kept.

At Bennett Spring State Park, Montauk State Park and Roaring River State Park, the season is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The season is open every day of the week at Maramec Spring Park. Flies are the only type of lures permitted during the winter season. You can still use spin-casting or bait-casting equipment, but you must use some type of fly as a lure.

Besides Bennett Spring State Park, Missouri’s other three trout parks are Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Montauk State Park near Salem and Maramec Spring Park near St. James.

Trout parks are not the only places where trout anglers can go in fall or winter. Lak e Taneycomo offers excellent trout fishing opportunities, as do a number of streams in southern Missouri that have designated trout management areas. More information about trout fishing opportunities in the state is available at your nearest Missouri Department of Conservation office or at www.missouriconservation.org/7248.

-Francis Skalicky-

HAVE A SUPER DAY! D.C.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Conservation Department hatchery workers moved thousands of near-stocker sized trout (nearly 12 inches) from Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery near Branson to Bennett Spring to meet daily stocking needs through October.

Personally I think this is a waste of our money, I believe they should have cut the daily limit accordingly.