Northern snakehead makes Arkansas arrival
BRINKLEY Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries biologists confirmed a breeding population of northern snakehead, an invasive species from Asia, in Lee County on April 28.
The population was discovered when a farmer found an unusual fish wiggling along a gravel farm road near a ditch and contacted the AGFC regional office in Brinkley. AGFC Fisheries Management Biologist Lee Holt identified the fish as the invasive species that recently made national headlines. Since the confirmation, fisheries biologists have worked to establish how far the population has spread and to control the population.
The species was banned in Arkansas in 2002 and placed under a federal importation ban the same year because of its potential to cause problems with native fish. However, biologists believe the species may have been brought to Arkansas before these regulations were passed.
"The northern snakehead is used as a food species in Asia, and we know some were brought to fish farms in the U.S. before 2002," said AGFC Assistant Chief of Fisheries Mark Oliver. "Fish farmers in Arkansas realized the potential danger the species posed and tried to eradicate them even before bans were imposed."
AGFC biologists are killing every snakehead they find in their research, but they're not optimistic that they can eradicate the population.
"We can't be sure exactly where this population came from and we just don't know how far they've spread," added Oliver. "Their abilities to live in extremely poor water conditions and reproduce quickly make them a difficult target to completely eliminate."
John Odenkirk with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has worked with the species since its discovery in the Potomac River in 2004. He said the fish are harmless to people, contrary to their vicious reputation.
"The fish's name, appearance and ability to survive out of the water for short periods make it easy to sensationalize. They're nothing like the horror stories I've heard and seen."
Oliver agreed, "They're a top-shelf predator in our fisheries, but they aren't some kind of Frankenfish that will attack people or chase them on land. (AGFC Fisheries biologists) handled quite a few of them in the last few days, and no one has had any sort of injury or bite."
The largest fear biologists have concerning the species is its impact on native fish such as largemouth bass, bream and crappie. Snakeheads are very aggressive predators, attacking food species as well as fish their own size.
"Right now it's just too early to tell what sort of impact snakeheads may have on a fishery," said Odenkirk. "But invasive species rarely provide many benefits to systems where they are introduced. By the time the damage is seen, it can be too late to control."
Oliver said that the sooner the AGFC knows about a population of invasive species, the better the chances for controlling their spread.
If you catch a snakehead or find one in your area, please immediately contact the AGFC Regional Office in Brinkley, (877) 734-4581, or the Fisheries Division in the Little Rock Office, (501) 223-6428. Commission regulations prohibit the import, transport or possession of snakeheads in Arkansas, however snakeheads caught may be immediately turned in to the AGFC.
Deer hunters, wildlife managers agree on
enforcement
LITTLE ROCK Listen in on a conversation about deer hunting in Arkansas, especially what is needed to improve it, and chances are about 9 in 10 that someone will comment, "They need more game wardens out there."
Wildlife officers, "game wardens" to much of the public keep busy in each one of Arkansas's 75 counties on deer matters, and it's year-round, not just during hunting seasons.
Enforcement is one consistency discussed at the citizens advisory group meetings that were a key part of the new Strategic White-tailed Deer Management Plan of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission that is now in effect.
The plan was developed by AGFC personnel with the several dozen private citizens who participated in idea and planning sessions. It was approved by AGFC's commissioners and plan supplants a 1999 deer management plan for Arkansas.
The plan says the enforcement goal is to "enhance enforcement efforts to ensure compliance with AGFC regulations."
It is much more involved than those few words, of course, and a key goal is to have the wildlife officers, the hunters and various organizations develop working relationships to cut down poaching and other illegal and clandestine activities.
The deer plan lists four strategies for enforcement.
One is to "maximize enforcement efforts to focus on the most severe violations by scheduling and prioritizing enforcement patrols during peak sportsman activity periods."
A second is to "promote communication between wildlife officers, local sportsmen and hunting clubs and organizations by using community-oriented police techniques and by presenting credible witness programs at deer management workshops."
The third is to "ensure that wildlife officers have the training and equipment to address concerns from citizens by maintaining maximum authorized enforcement staffing."
And the fourth is to "Maintain penalties that serve as deterrents to violations of deer regulations." These penalties can include fines, confiscation of equipment including vehicles and suspension or revoking of hunting licenses.
The enforcement goal is one of the six elements of the new plan. The other categories of the plan are Resource, Sociological, Habitat, Education and Communication. The complete deer management plan can be found online at: http://www.agfc.com/hunting/deer/deerplan_revision.aspx.
More enforcement across Arkansas was one of the priorities voiced by Arkansas sportsmen a dozen years ago before the vote that resulted in Amendment 75 to the Arkansas Constitution, the Conservation Sales Tax. After the tax went into effect, more wildlife officers were added to the AGFC staff so every county has at least two stationed within it. Many counties have three officers.
Season for seeking elk permits is approaching
LITTLE ROCK You've heard the old saying that if something's too good to be true, then it probably is. That's not the case with elk hunting in Arkansas. A free chance to hunt Arkansas' largest game animal is very real and it's coming up soon.
The month of May is application time for a chance to win one of the 26 permits to hunt elk in the Buffalo River country of Arkansas. The hunt dates this year are Sept. 22-26 and Dec. 8-12.
The applications are available on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's website, www.agfc.com at license dealers, AGFC offices and other outlets across the state. Applying doesn't cost anything, nor does winning one of the 24 available permits. Two other permits are issued through fund-raising activities of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, with 85 percent of the money received returned to Arkansas for elk habitat work.
The drawing for the public land permits will be Saturday, June 28, on the Newton County Courthouse Square in Jasper, near the Buffalo River and center of Arkansas's elk country. Persons applying for permits don't have to be present, but many attend each year, joining in the festivities and activities.
There is an added attraction again this year. One permit will be issued to someone who makes application at the Elk Festival in Jasper. Sign up, stick around and you may win a permit. For this one, you have to be present. And like the other public land elk permits to be drawn, you have to be an Arkansas resident.
Applications for Arkansas' 2008 elk hunt permits can be submitted any time during the month of May. Applications will not be accepted if postmarked past June 2.
The 2008 elk hunting will be in Elk Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4 along the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas. These zones are mostly public lands of the Buffalo National River and the Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area.
The dates for the Zone A private land hunt is Sept. 22-26 and Dec. 8-12 for lands in Boone, Carroll and Newton counties. The Zone B hunt will be held Dec. 8-12 only for lands in Madison and Newton counties. In these areas some landowners view elk as nuisances. These permits are issued in a separate process. They cost $35, and hunters must have signed permission from a landowner in Zone A or Zone B in order to apply. The private land hunts will end at sundown when the quotas are reached. The application period for this permit must be postmarked by July 15 and are not available for online application.
For the free public land permits, duplicate applications will be thrown out. Persons who have accumulated 12 or more violation points in the AGFC point system for hunting and fishing violations are not eligible.
Two of the permits are earmarked for youths boys or girls under 16 years of age.
Improving elk habitat in the Buffalo River country is another benefit of the permit process. Many Arkansans who apply for the permits send along voluntary donations to the elk program, and this money is used for food plots, prescribed burning and other work in the elk area. A donation to the AGFC for the elk program is not a requirement for permit application, nor does a donation improve chances of being drawn for a permit.
