Panama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2006 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 20061. Captured and tagged 475 Gulf sturgeons in five Florida rivers and one bay.2. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine movement and habitat use in the Gulf of Mexico.3. Assisted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with thecollection of Gulf sturgeon, implantation of acoustic tags, and monitoring of fish in astudy to examine movement patterns and habitat use in Pensacola andChoctawhatchee bays post-Hurricane Ivan.4. Provided technical assistance to Jon “Bo” Sawyer in completing a study – SummerResting Areas of the Gulf Sturgeon in the Conecuh/Escambia River System,Alabama-Florida – for acquiring a Degree of Master of Science at Troy University,Alabama.5. Coordinated tagging and data collection with NOAA observers aboard trawlers whilecollecting Gulf sturgeon during dredging operations in the coastal Gulf of Mexico.6. Hosted the 7th Annual Gulf Sturgeon Workshop.7. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 23rd AnnualMorone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish,coordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) riversystem, and evaluating post-stocking success.8. Continued updating and managing the Freshwater Mussel Survey Database, aGeographic Information System (GIS) database, for over 800 unique sites in theNortheast Gulf (NEG) drainages in Alabama (AL), Georgia (GA), and Florida (FL).9. Formed a recovery implementation team for listed mussels in the ACF river basin andoversaw grant cooperative agreements for 14 listed and candidate freshwater musselsin the NEG watersheds.10. Initiated a project in the Apalachicola River to relocate mussels stranded as a result ofdrought conditions, and calculate river flows at which mussels would be exposed.11. Initiated a project in Sawhatchee Creek, Georgia to determine the status of threatenedand endangered (T&E) freshwater mussels and target restoration projects, populationassessments, and potential population augmentation to lead toward recovery of thelisted species.12. Initiated a study to determine the age and growth of the endangered fat threeridgemussel (Amblema neislerii).13. Provided technical assistance to the Panama City Ecological Services office for abiological opinion on the operations of Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam and its effectson the listed species and designated and proposed critical habitat in the ApalachicolaRiver, Florida.14. Assisted with a multi-State, inter-agency team to develop a management plan torestore the Alabama shad in the ACF river system.15. Conducted fishery surveys on Tyndall AFB, Florida and Ft. Benning, Georgia andcompleted a report with recommendations for future recreational fishery needs.16. Provided fishery technical assistance to four National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) (i.e.,Okefenokee NWR, Banks Lake NWR, St. Vincent NWR, and St. Marks NWR).17. Initiated an Aquatic Resources and Recreation Fishing Survey on Department ofDefense facilities located in Region 4.18. Identified 130 road-stream crossings on Eglin AFB for rehabilitation and eliminationof sediment imputs.19. Continued the Aquatics Monitoring Program at Eglin AFB to assess techniques thatdetermine current status and sustainability of aquatic habitat and develop a measure todetermine quality or degradation of habitat.20. Assisted Eglin AFB Natural Resource managers in revising the installation’sIntegrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) and its associatedcomponent plans.21. Coordinated recovery efforts for the endangered Okaloosa darter includingpopulation/life history surveys, stream restoration, and outreach activities.22. Initiated a comprehensive status review of the Okaloosa darter with analysesperformed to assess available habitat, preferred habitats, rangeexpansions/reductions/fragmentations, population size, and probability of extinction.23. Assisted the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership and the Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under a Memorandum of Agreement todevelop conservation strategies, implement monitoring and assessment programs, andsecure funds for aquatic management programs in six watersheds in northwest Floridaand southeast Alabama.24. Entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Air Force to encourage theconservation and rehabilitation of natural resources at Hurlburt Field, Florida.25. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resources’ conservationneeds and opportunities; including National Fishing Week, Earth Day, severalfestivals, and school outreach.