(Editor’s note: Jack Spaulding is temporarily not authoring this column, as he is recovering from illness. We expect him to be back on the job sometime in the coming weeks; in the meantime, this column will be a collation of outdoors, hunting, fishing and related briefs that are in line with Jack’s usual slate of topics.)

 

A recent rash of fish kills in several Kosciusko County lakes has residents and anglers looking for possible causes.

In most cases, DNR biologists say the causes are unknown, but the fish kills will not affect the overall health of fish populations or the quality of fishing.

Dead common carp were reported to the DNR at the Barbee lakes, Hoffman, Ridinger, Robinson and Winona lakes and Lake Wawasee. Other species died at Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake, including adult white bass, bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass and bullhead catfish.

Fish kills in the spring are fairly common, especially when bad weather during spawning season degrades habitat conditions, according to Jed Pearson, DNR fisheries biologist. The cause of death could involve multiple factors, but identifying them is difficult.

“Unless we get our hands on fish in the actual process of dying, it is virtually impossible to identify the cause due to decomposition,” Pearson said. “Unfortunately most fish kills are not reported until they bloat and float to the surface. By then it’s too late.”

Pearson speculated that most carp deaths were caused by a viral pathogen specific to the species. And at two lakes, some carp appeared to have been harvested by recreational anglers, but not disposed of properly.

The fish kills are Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake are more complicated because of the various species, sizes and locations of dead fish.

“When a single species starts to die that’s usually a sign of spawning stress, disease, or a combination of the two,” Pearson said. “That’s what most likely killed the large adult white bass which were the bulk of the fish killed at Wawasee.”

When multiple species of fish are killed, that usually signals some type of environmental factor or contaminant, Pearson said. Improper and illegal application of herbicides can trigger fish kills in isolated areas or cause oxygen levels to drop as treated plants decay.

And of course dead fish killed in one location may float to a different location, complicating efforts to track down a cause of death.

Pearson said anglers who catch fish and decide later not to keep them sometimes release them back into the lake in a stressed condition. This too can add to the number of fish that die from natural causes and create the illusion of a fish kill.

There’s no strong evidence pointing to any one cause at Wawasee and Syracuse, but residents and anglers should not see a noticeable decline in the quality of fishing based on the numbers of dead fish observed. Anyone observing a fish kill or numerous stressed or struggling fish should immediately notify the district fisheries biologist with information including the location, number and type of fish affected, and any information about the water (e.g. stained color, odors, etc.).

A listing of biologists with contact information is at dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/3590.htm

Three Kosciusko County lakes are experiencing a reduction in invasive Eurasian watermilfoil this spring. Center, Big Chapman and Webster lakes have had recurring problems with Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) in past years. EWM is present in most Indiana lakes. It often grows so densely that it creates a nuisance for boating and fishing. It also can outcompete more desirable native aquatic plant species.

In 2015, EWM occupied 38 percent of the surface 

area at Center Lake. This spring, EWM occupies only 4 percent of surface area. Biologists have observed similar declines at Webster and Big Chapman lakes.

All three lakes have received selective aquatic herbicide treatments the last few seasons designed to control EWM. Funding for treatments was provided by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake and River Enhancement Program (LARE) in combination with the local lake associations.

DNR biologists believe the treatments explain the reductions, at least partially.

“We have observed what we would consider more typical plant growth at other northern Indiana lakes this season,” LARE aquatic biologist Rod Edgell said. “So, our observations at Big Chapman, Center and Webster lead us to believe that the treatments are helping.”

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Five Kentucky and Tennessee residents paid more than $10,000 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty in Fulton District Court to charges resulting after joint investigations by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Special Investigations Unit (SIU) officers and conservation officers looking into illegal waterfowl hunting guides. The last two cases were resolved May 30.

SIU and conservation officers from the First Law Enforcement District in western Kentucky say the five also forfeited $16,400 in firearms and equipment and lost hunting privileges for a total of 16 years.

James “Jimmy” Rowland, 42, of Hickman, Ky., pled guilty to one count of resident commercial license violation and one count of illegally taking migratory birds. He paid $5,000 in restitution to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and lost his hunting privileges under the Wildlife Violators Compact for four years.

Rhodney Speed, 44, and Jeff Boyd, 49, both of Union City, Tenn., offered guilty pleas as well. Speed pled guilty to facilitation of non-resident commercial license violations. Through a plea agreement, he paid $1,153 forfeited a 2011 Polaris Ranger Crew vehicle and lost his hunting privileges for one year.

Boyd pled guilty to two counts of non-resident commercial license violations and to illegally taking migratory birds. Boyd paid $2,500 in restitution, forfeited two shotguns and lost his hunting privileges for five years. He was further ordered not to hunt in Kentucky for eight years.

Bill Jackson, 61, of Woodland Mills, Tenn., pled guilty to facilitation of resident commercial license violations, non-resident hunting without a Kentucky hunting license and non-resident hunting without a Kentucky Waterfowl Permit. He paid $1,000 in restitution and lost hunting privileges for three years.

Rob Hitesman, 46, of Hickman, Ky., received a $453 pre-payable summons for three counts of entry on land to hunt/fish without permission. Investigation into the case began in 2016.

 

A northwestern Indiana nature preserve that includes land from a former Girl Scout camp is growing by another 70 acres. The Associated Press reported the recent acquisition by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust boosts the Meadowbrook Nature Preserve to 224 acres of protected land.

Most of the new acreage is currently farmed, but the nonprofit plans to reforest the parcel starting in 2018. About four acres is already forested and contains a mix of spring wildflowers, including large-flowered trilliums that are rare in the nature preserve.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported the land trust started the Meadowbrook Nature Preserve in 2013 when it acquired a former 74-acre Girl Scout camp near Valparaiso, Ind. Its newest acreage will link the area’s habitat with the nearby Moraine State Nature Preserve and Sunset Hill Farm County Park.