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Southeast
Fish in Danger – What Can Be Done to Stop The Perilous Decline?
"It's
almost a death of a thousand cuts." That's
how Sam Hamilton, the Southeast Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service describes his fears for fish in the Southeast. "We're on the
verge of a crisis," said Hamilton. "You can see that by the
numbers of fish and other aquatic species that It
was the beginning of a three-day conference in Chattanooga. Fisheries and
environmental professionals from across the country have convened to
discuss why the Southeast has one-fourth of all endangered and
threatened fish listed in the country. "The Southeast has 60% of the
fishes in North America, so it's an area rich in diversity," Hamilton
said. "And yet today, we find that many of those fish and other
aquatic species are in deep trouble." Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency Executive Director Gary Myers says the Volunteer
State is the worst of the worst. Citing a map provided by The Nature Before
anybody panics and wants to ban bass fishing, our game fish like bluegill,
crapple or catfish aren't facing extinction. Every one of the species
Myers and Hamilton are talking about are non-game fish.... typically small
darters, minnows, and daces.... most of which you or I have never even
seen. That
creates a special challenge for the protectors of our resources. Tom
McKenzie, USFWS spokesperson said, "imperiled fishes aren't panda
bears, bald eagles, or manatees. They don't have large, well-funded
advocate groups. We can't hunt them, eat them, or cuddle them... so what
good are they? It's a tough issue for the public to appreciate." McKenzie
says the task is not only to learn about the biology of the fish, but
cultivating the philosophy of the people. "We need to grow people's
awareness of the importance of all living things, as we can't always fully
understand the importance of each part of the web of life." Biologists
already have a pretty good idea what's disrupting this web. "There are
many factors that have caused species to become endangered and the aquatic
system to collapse,"
Hamilton said. “...it's
pollution, whether it's damming of rivers, or siltation from agricultural
runoff." In
our area, obviously that "damming of rivers" comment points toward
TVA. Don't think that these guys a re advocating the destruction of
Chickamauga Dam. They are pointing out hunks of concrete are having a
dramatic impact on the ebb and flow of life in the river. Hamilton says
there are now 140 major dams in the Southeast. And he's quick to point out
that TVA has made great strides to improve dam and reservoir operations to
benefit the river environment. Most TVA dams are now retrofitted with
aerators, which re-oxygenate the river... just like a aerator in your
aquarium. But Hamilton and other professionals say there is much more that
can be done to more closely duplicate the natural process of the river's
flow. And
dozens of the imperiled species exist far from the Tennessee River. Fish
like the Holiday Darter live only in the upper reaches of small
streams. Their life cycle is more likely to be road-blocked by a single
herd of cows invading a particular stretch of stream. Or
the problem could be a poorly buffered construction site that pours ten tons
of mud into a tiny creek. The
problems are many. The solutions are tough, and most require money. TWRA's
Gary Myers says sportsmen have paid the bill for too long. "We've got
to have some more money. It’s not fair that we expect the sportsmen to
foot the bill for these quality of life things," Myers said. "The
people of the state of Tennessee need to help pay that bill." by
Richard Simms The Chattanoogan.com Latest Local News - October 28, 1999 |