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Lower Oconee - Paddle Georgia - Outreach


10 replies to this topic

#1 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 18 September 2016 - 03:51 PM

Yesterday, NANFA member Camm Swift and myself supported another of the Paddle Georgia Hidden Gems series of events. http://www.garivers....gistration.htmlThe paddlers were scheduled to arrive in the late afternoon on a sandbar on the Berry Farm Conservation Area.

800 oconee.jpg

 

I arrived early and set up the NANFA table right down on the sandbar (thanks to my yellow Jeep I didn't have to carry things too far).  

800 table.jpg

 

Solo seining in a large river is not as fun or productive as I would have liked, but, as almost 100 paddlers debarked the river from a day of paddling, they walked up the sandbar and were greeted by a tank full of fishes.

800 tank.jpg

 

Camm was one of the paddlers, and when he arrived we seined a little more and were able to add a few additional species.  One of them has me a bit stumped, is this a tessellated darter?  It looks like an Etheostoma to me, and not a juvenile blackbanded (which we also collected at the same general location).

800 darter.jpg

 

Later I was able to give a short 10 minute talk on NANFA and what we do for native fishes through our grant programs.  I also mentioned the fishes we caught (bluegill, redbreast, bass, balckbanded darter, spottail shiner and Ocmulgee shiner) paying particular attention to the last one which is endemic to the greater Altamaha drainage and the state of Georgia.


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#2 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 18 September 2016 - 07:26 PM

It looks like a tessie to me.

That's a pretty spot; sorry I missed out. But it looks like the bikini topped yellow Jeep and you did just fine. Thanks for all you do for our fishes, Michael!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#3 Chasmodes

Chasmodes
  • NANFA Member
  • Central Maryland

Posted 19 September 2016 - 06:22 AM

That's quite a day and those paddlers had a treat awaiting them.  Nice work Michael!


Kevin Wilson


#4 itsme

itsme
  • NANFA Member

Posted 19 September 2016 - 01:20 PM

Thanks, Mike!



#5 fundulus

fundulus
  • Global Moderator

Posted 19 September 2016 - 01:48 PM

Would a blue jeep have worked as well? But I digress... the darter looks more like a Johnny, Eth. nigrum. The basicaudal spot is about right, the hazy lateral marks are about right, and the second dorsal inserts just ahead of the anal. My experience has been finding Johnnys in various places I wouldn't have expected to see them.


Bruce Stallsmith, Huntsville, Alabama, US of A

#6 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 19 September 2016 - 04:38 PM

No, a blue one would have been a little bit worse. A red one would have beentruely terrible.

Yellow is the best.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#7 sbtgrfan

sbtgrfan
  • NANFA Member
  • Charleston, SC

Posted 19 September 2016 - 05:30 PM

Out of curiosity, unless I missed it somewhere, what are the Gatorade bottles for in the tank?
Stephen Beaman
Freshwater Aquarist
South Carolina Aquarium
Charleston, SC

#8 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 19 September 2016 - 07:32 PM

I have two that have a few rocks in the bottom (to help them sink) and are otherwise filled with water and frozen.  They are just to help keep the display tank a little cooler and to give the sunfish something to act as 'structure' to hide by. The others that are floating are also frozen, and I also use them to help keep the tank cool... and I drink them once they are thaw... to help me on a hot day.

 

Heat is the biggest enemy I have during these things.  I try to locate in the shade if possible.  And try to bring cool, PRIME treated water from home. But adding the frozen bottles helps.


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#9 sbtgrfan

sbtgrfan
  • NANFA Member
  • Charleston, SC

Posted 19 September 2016 - 07:57 PM

I figured it was full of frozen water, but I just wanted to make sure before I assumed! haha

How long are the fish in the tank and do you do constant water changes? I'm sure that'd help and wouldn't be hard since you're streamside.


Stephen Beaman
Freshwater Aquarist
South Carolina Aquarium
Charleston, SC

#10 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 19 September 2016 - 10:03 PM

The fish are usually only in the tank for a couple of hours (sometimes I stretch that out significantly if its March or November).

 

No I do not do water changes, but sometimes I do try to aerate.  Problem is many times the stream water is not clear, so I am bringing my own PRIME treated water form home. The idea is to maximize the viewing for people, so that they can really see the fish.


Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#11 James

James
  • NANFA Member

Posted 27 September 2016 - 04:58 PM

The biggest thanks, Mike. I have to say, this is really cool. Thank you too for spreading the native fish gospel.  O:)


"meet me in the creek"



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