Which species are safe to eat?

from the Gazette-Mail:

John McCoy: As WV’s fishing season nears, which fish are safe to eat?

On four pages of West Virginia’s fishing-regulations booklet, anglers can learn how many of the fish they catch are safe to eat and how often it is safe to eat them.

Produced by the state Division of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Public Health, the four pages also spell out which waters are home to fish that might be contaminated by mercury, PCBs and other toxic substances.

Despite all the detail the agencies provide, questions still arise.

“Typically we get calls in spring, when folks really get active and get out there fishing,” said Bret Preston, the DNR’s assistant chief in charge of fisheries. “We also get calls when we make a change in the advisories, which makes sense. People want to learn about the changes, or to clarify what they’ve read.”

It’s been a few years since any substantial changes were made to the advisories, but Preston said that shouldn’t diminish their importance in people’s minds.

“We put those advisories in the regulations booklet so people can make educated decisions about the fish they catch and eat,” he added. “These are advisories, not rules. It’s left up to the individual to

more stockings

North Fork and Spruce Knob stocked today

March 29 Watershed Group Gathering

From Suzy Lucas:

 EPCD will be holding their annual Watershed Group Gathering on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in Martinsburg, WV. Mark your calendars, and note that our location has changed! The gathering will run from approximately 9am-12:30pm.

 As usual, a portion of the agenda will be dedicated to hearing from our local watershed groups and partners. We request a 1 slide, 2 minute presentation from everyone who is interested in giving an update. You can put whatever you want on your slide, and you will have exactly 2 minutes to talk about what you feel is most important about your group’s activities over the past year.

 Topics will include: Outreach via Social Media, CI’s Best Management Practices Reporting Tool, ICPRB’s WaterReporter App., and Urban Nutrient Management.

 Please distribute this message to your membership base/mailing lists as you see fit.  Stay on the lookout in early March for an agenda and registration for our March 29, 2016 Eastern Panhandle Watershed Group Gathering.

Daily trout stocking report

Revised Forecast for South Branch River Levels

The revised forecast shows that the South Branch levels are unlikely to reach action stage even after yesterday's rains, but the North Branch and Cacapon rivers were both impacted.

Daily trout stocking

Oldtown Bridge - February 3, 2pm

Photo by Kevin Iser

Daily trout stocking - Feb 2

Flooding Concerns after Snow Melt

With rapid snow melt, particularly when accompanied by rain, our Eastern Pandhandle rivers with much broader upstream watersheds become very vulnerable to flooding.

So far this month the Cacapon is the only river for which unusual flooding is predicted, although the South Branch and main stem of the Potomac will likely reach Action Stage.

From the Hampshire Review:

GREAT CACAPON — Runoff from Winter Storm Jonas pushed the Cacapon River out of its banks early Tuesday morning.

The National Weather Service reporting station showed the river cresting at 9.85 feet at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday after a rapid rise over the previous 16 hours.

The level is expected to be back below the 9-foot flood stage by 1 p.m. and drop back to 6 feet by 7 a.m. Wednesday before starting another rise that could hit flood stage again Thursday morning.