Ohio Division of Wildlife's Muskellunge Program: Partnering with anglers to build quality fisheries

The Ohio Fish and Wildlife Management Association, the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative and the Ohio Chapter of The Wildlife Society, recently started a monthly online presentation series called the “Ohio Fish and Wildlife Presentation Series”. The series offers convenient year-round opportunities for wildlife professionals to learn about current issues related to fish and wildlife management and research.

Join us for our presentation in December: " Ohio Division of Wildlife's Muskellunge Program: Partnering with anglers to build quality fisheries " on Tuesday, December 17th from 10-11am, by Kevin Page with the Division of Wildlife.

Muskellunge is a popular sport fish that is prized by anglers for the large sizes they can attain. During the early 1900s, natural populations of muskellunge declined due to pollution and dam construction, and in an effort to rebuild these fisheries, the Ohio Division of Wildlife developed a muskellunge stocking program during the 1950s.  Today, nine reservoirs are stocked with muskellunge, providing quality put-grow-and-take fisheries across Ohio, along with an opportunity to experience catching a trophy muskellunge once again. Muskellunge anglers have been vital to the success of this program through reporting of their catches over the last 50 years. The Division of Wildlife is now partnering with anglers on a tagging study that seeks ways of improving these fisheries by evaluating muskellunge population dynamics using angler reports of tagged fish within reservoirs and monitoring movement of muskellunge out of reservoirs using automated tag readers below the dams. This presentation will provide an overview of the Division of Wildlife’s muskellunge program and highlight the new tagging study.

Registration is free and available at: http://obcinet.org/ofwps/. If you are not able to watch the presentation we will record it and provide a link at the same website. 

Please email ofwseries@gmail.com or contact Ken Duren at (740) 362-2410 ext. 124 with any questions.