Tippets: Atlantic Salmon Recovery, The Lionfish Challenge, Alligator Gar & Asian Carp, Benbow Dam Removal

August 31, 2016 By: Erin Block

  • Ross Purnell reports on the work being done at the Peter Gray Hatchery to recover Atlantic salmon populations in Maine. Success with restoring salmon to the UK’s River Tyne is being followed as an example for US efforts as well. “Peter’s philosophy was that our hatchery efforts here in America have failed to recover salmon stocks because we’ve been producing inferior fish,” says Dwayne Shaw, executive director of the Downeast Salmon Federation. “He believed we needed to produce ‘little athletes’ with a superior ability to survive, grow, navigate the North Atlantic, and return as healthy adults.” Via Fly Fisherman.
  • Through the Lionfish Challenge and Panhandle Pilot Program, divers have successfully removed 9,216 invasive lionfish from Florida waters. Learn more about details and participation via The Fishing Wire.
  • Alligator gar have been around since the time of the dinosaurs, and these ancient fish are increasingly threatened by human activity and development. However, new studies point to good reason for ensuring their survival: their appetite for Asian carp. Dr. Solomon David, research associate at Shedd Aquarium, writes more in National Geographic.
  • NOAA Fisheries and the California Department Parks and Recreation have started demolition of the Benbow Dam on the South Fork of the Eel River. The dam has limited steelhead, coho and Chinook salmon runs upriver. Via The Fishing Wire.