ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Inland Fish Research

Inland Fish Research Unit

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Stewardship


Initiatives


Accomplishments

  • Developed and implemented an equipment disinfection protocol for use by the Division of Wildlife and its partners to minimize the potential spread of diseases between water bodies.

Opportunities


Initiatives

  • Continue to support fisheries monitoring which provides data necessary to facilitate the efficient management of Ohio’s lake, reservoir, stream, and river fisheries.
  • Coordinate the development of “Inland” tactical plans to provide guidance and direction to fisheries management in inland waters.
  • Continue to develop and administer angler surveys to better understand angler dynamics and promote the use of Ohio’s aquatic resources.


Accomplishments

  • Evaluated feasibility of traffic counters placed at boat access sites to estimate angler use of Ohio reservoirs.
  • As part of the fisheries monitoring program, Hoover Reservoir, Dillon Reservoir, and the Ohio River were surveyed annually.
  • Coordinated the evaluation of current fishing regulations and the proposal of new regulations at select reservoirs (details?)
  • Completed acoustic fish surveys on an average of 13 reservoirs each year throughout the state.(details?)
  • Collected and processed bathymetry data on 16 lakes in 2009 and produced lake maps available on the Division’s web site.
  • Integrated the use of small pontoon electrofishing boats as equipment to survey sportfish in rivers and streams.
  • Provided maintenance and support of Division of Wildlife and research partner boats and equipment.
  • Participated as a member of the Division’s fisheries web site team.  Specifically, created interactive Google maps of inland lakes, expanded the life history pages in the Species A-Z web pages of fishes, and administered the Muskie Angler Log where anglers can report and track muskie catches.
  • Coordinated on-site angler surveys on inland reservoirs (38 in 2008, 18 in 2009) and at Ohio River tailwaters (3 per year); implemented post card angler surveys at the Ohio River and at the AEP ReCreation lands; administered an online inland angler survey on the Division’s web page.
  • Represented Ohio’s interests on the Ohio River Fish Management Team which is comprised of the fisheries administrators for each state’s resource agency along the Ohio River with the goal of river-wide coordination of Ohio River fisheries management.