08-31-2005, 04:17 PM
LITTLE ROCK -The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Bass Association and the Cummins Department of Corrections in Lincoln County are partners in an ongoing nursery project to add more bass fingerlings to the Arkansas River. The partnership is now in its 15th year and is focused solely on the river’s largemouth bass population.
This year, 85 largemouth bass were collected as brood stock through tournaments held by the Arkansas Bass Association in March and April. Half of the fish were taken from the Arkansas River at Little Rock and the rest were taken from waters near Lake Dardanelle State Park.
Once the brood fish were collected, they were allowed to spawn in the clean waters of sterilized nursery ponds at the Department of Corrections Cummins Unit. Corrections officers and six prison trustees then added fertilizer and minnows to the water for the developing bass.
When the ponds were drained for harvest in early August, fisheries personnel were surprised with exceptional results. More than 78,000 bass fingerlings ranging from 3 to 5 inches long and boasting a total weight of 1,500 pounds were harvested from the two ponds on the Cummins Unit. The fish were stocked in pools 2, 6, 7, 10 and 13 of the Arkansas River, where biologists felt they would best benefit the existing population.
Not only did the ABA contribute all the brood stock for the project, but its members also bought the food for the growing bass and the fuel for the aeration system on the ponds. Joe Hogan Hatchery Manager Berry Beavers said, “Their continued partnership has been one of the driving forces behind the program’s success.”
Charlie Capps and William Allen from the Arkansas Department of Corrections were also instrumental in the project, maintaining the ponds and checking oxygen levels in the water throughout the day to protect the developing bass. Beavers added, “Mr. Allen went beyond the call of duty by checking on the ponds two or three times a day and taking a personal interest in growing these fish for the stocking of the river. He did this on top of his regular duties as Assistant Farm Manager.”
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This year, 85 largemouth bass were collected as brood stock through tournaments held by the Arkansas Bass Association in March and April. Half of the fish were taken from the Arkansas River at Little Rock and the rest were taken from waters near Lake Dardanelle State Park.
Once the brood fish were collected, they were allowed to spawn in the clean waters of sterilized nursery ponds at the Department of Corrections Cummins Unit. Corrections officers and six prison trustees then added fertilizer and minnows to the water for the developing bass.
When the ponds were drained for harvest in early August, fisheries personnel were surprised with exceptional results. More than 78,000 bass fingerlings ranging from 3 to 5 inches long and boasting a total weight of 1,500 pounds were harvested from the two ponds on the Cummins Unit. The fish were stocked in pools 2, 6, 7, 10 and 13 of the Arkansas River, where biologists felt they would best benefit the existing population.
Not only did the ABA contribute all the brood stock for the project, but its members also bought the food for the growing bass and the fuel for the aeration system on the ponds. Joe Hogan Hatchery Manager Berry Beavers said, “Their continued partnership has been one of the driving forces behind the program’s success.”
Charlie Capps and William Allen from the Arkansas Department of Corrections were also instrumental in the project, maintaining the ponds and checking oxygen levels in the water throughout the day to protect the developing bass. Beavers added, “Mr. Allen went beyond the call of duty by checking on the ponds two or three times a day and taking a personal interest in growing these fish for the stocking of the river. He did this on top of his regular duties as Assistant Farm Manager.”
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