United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Panama City Field Office Publicationshttp://hdl.handle.net/1834/175832024-03-29T00:17:46Z2024-03-29T00:17:46ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2002 Annual Reporthttp://hdl.handle.net/1834/212752021-06-27T02:37:01Z2003-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2002 Annual Report
HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 20021. United States Senator Bob Graham assisted with a Gulf sturgeon survey.2. Completed 3-year Gulf sturgeon population study in the Choctawhatchee Riverdrainage.3. Completed Gulf sturgeon potential spawning habitat survey for Northwest Florida andSoutheast Alabama river systems.4. Initiated Gulf sturgeon marine habitat and food resources study.5. Completed Gulf sturgeon sentinel fish study.6. Coordinated and conducted tagging of over 110,000 Phase II striped bass at Welakaand Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery.7. Completed Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge fishery sampling.8. Developed a manuscript regarding the fishery of Banks Lake NWR.9. Initiated development of a fish Index of Biotic Integrity for Florida panhandle streams.10. Coordinated Okaloosa darter workshop.11. Continued examining insect communities on Eglin AFB.12. Sponsored and coordinated stream restoration workshop.13. Provided technical assistance via Partners for Fish and Wildlife for stream restorationwithin the Northeast Gulf Ecosystem.14. Finalized regional curve development in the Northern Region of Florida and securedsignificant funds for FY03 to expand to other regions in Florida.15. Initiated freshwater mussel conservation in the Northeastern Gulf Ecosystem.
2003-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2003 Annual Reporthttp://hdl.handle.net/1834/212742021-06-27T02:36:09Z2004-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2003 Annual Report
HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 20031. Continued a 3-year threatened Gulf sturgeon population estimate in the EscambiaRiver, Florida and conducted presence-absence surveys in 4 other Florida riversystems and 1 bay.2. Five juvenile Gulf sturgeon collected, near the mouth of the ChoctawhatcheeRiver, Florida, were equipped with sonic tags and monitored while over-winteringin Choctawhatchee Bay.3. Continued to examine Gulf sturgeon marine habitat use.4. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 20th AnnualMorone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, and coordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) riversystem.5. Over 73,000 Phase II Gulf striped bass were marked with sequential coded wiretags and stocked in the Apalachicola River. Post-stocking evaluations wereconducted at 31 sites.6. Three stream fisheries assessment s were completed to evaluate the fishcommunity at sites slated for habitat restoration by the Partners for Fish andWildlife Program (PFW).7. PFW program identified restoration needs and opportunities for 10 areas.8. Developed an Unpaved Road Evaluation Handbook.9. Completed restoration of Chipola River Greenway, Seibenhener StreambankRestoration, Blackwater River State Forest, and Anderson Property.10. Assessments for fluvial geomorphic conditions for design criteria were completedfor 3 projects.11. Geomorphology in Florida streams initiated development of Rosgen regionalcurves for Northwest Florida for use by the Florida Department of Transportation.12. Developed a Memorandum of Understanding between partners for enhancing,protecting, and restoring stream, wetland, and upland habitat in northwest Florida13. Completed aquatic fauna and fish surveys with new emphasis on integration ofdata from reach level into watershed and landscape scale and keeping databasecurrent.14. Compliance based sampling of impaired waterbodies on Eglin Air Force Base inconjunction with Florida Department of Environmental Protection for TotalMaximum Daily Load development support.15. Surveyed 20 sites for the federally endangered Okaloosa darter, provided habitatdescriptions, worked with partners to implement key recovery tasks and setpriorities for restoration.16. Worked with partners to develop a freshwater mussel survey protocol to providestandard operating procedures for establishing the presence/absence of federallylisted mussel species within a Federal project area.17. GIS database was created to identify all known freshwater mussel records fromthe northeast Gulf ecosystem.18. Completed recovery plan for seven freshwater mussels and drafted candidateelevation package for seven additional mussels. Developed proposals toimplement recovery plan.19. Worked with Corps of Engineers and State partners to develop improved reservoiroperating policies to benefit both riverine and reservoir fisheries for the ACF riversystem.20. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resourcesconservation opportunities.21. Multiple stream restoration and watershed management projects initiated orcompleted (see Appendix A).
2004-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2004 Annual Reporthttp://hdl.handle.net/1834/212732021-06-27T02:33:30Z2005-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2004 Annual Report
HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 20041. Completed the second of a 3-year Gulf sturgeon population estimate on the EscambiaRiver, Florida.2. Completed the first of a 2-year Gulf sturgeon population estimate on the ApalachicolaRiver, Florida.3. Conducted Gulf sturgeon presence-absence surveys in three other Florida river systems.4. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine habitat use in the near shore waters of the Gulf ofMexico.5. Identified environmental threats to Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat in theChoctawhatchee River, Florida.6. Initiated a study to document Gulf sturgeon spawning with the collection of fertilizedeggs in the Yellow River, Florida.7. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 21st Annual MoroneWorkshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, and coordinating thestocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system.8. Over 86,000 Phase II Gulf striped bass were marked with sequential coded wire tags andstocked in Lake Seminole and the Apalachicola River. Post-stocking evaluations wereconducted at 31 sites.9. Drafted updates to Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Striped Bass Restoration andEvaluation Five-Year Plan with partners.10. Fishery surveys were conducted on Tyndall Air Force Base and St. Marks and St.Vincent National Wildlife Refuges.11. Habitat evaluations and population surveys were completed at 153 Okaloosa darterstream sites.12. Aquatic insect biomonitoring and identification of over 39,000 individual aquaticmacroinvertebrates was completed and provided to Eglin Air Force Base.13. Ten years of fishery data from Okefenokee and Banks Lake National Wildlife Refugeswas analyzed with recommendations incorporated into the refuge ComprehensiveConservation Plan.14. A draft mussel sampling protocol was tested in wadeable streams in northwest Floridaand southwest Georgia.15. Implemented recovery plan and candidate conservation actions for 14 listed andcandidate freshwater mussels in the Northeast Gulf Watersheds.16. Worked with partners in developing the Spring Creek Watershed Partnership in the FlintRiver basin, Georgia.17. Multiple stream restoration and watershed management projects were initiated orcompleted. A total of 6.8 stream miles were restored for stream fishes, along with 56.4miles of coastline were enhanced for sea turtle lighting. A total of 135 acres of wetlandsand 58 acres of understory habitat were restored.18. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resources conservation needsand opportunities. Participated in National Fishing Week event, BASS ProShops event,several festivals, and school outreach.
2005-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2005 Annual Reporthttp://hdl.handle.net/1834/212722021-06-27T02:32:26Z2006-01-01T00:00:00ZPanama City Fisheries Resources Office: FY 2005 Annual Report
HIGHLIGHTS FOR FY 20051. Assisted with a study to assess hurricane impacts to Gulf sturgeon criticalforaging habitat.2. Documented Gulf sturgeon marine movement and habitat use in the Gulf ofMexico.3. Documented Gulf sturgeon spawning with the collection of fertilized eggs in theApalachicola River, Florida.4. Documented Gulf sturgeon spawning with the collection of fertilized eggs in theYellow River, Florida.5. Assisted with benthic invertebrate survey at Gulf sturgeon marine foraginggrounds.6. Implemented Gulf Striped Bass Restoration Plan by coordinating the 22nd AnnualMorone Workshop, leading the technical committee, transporting broodfish, andcoordinating the stocking on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) riversystem.7. Over 87,000 Phase II Gulf striped bass were marked with sequential coded wiretags and stocked in the Apalachicola River. Post-stocking evaluations wereconducted at 45 sites in the fall and spring and 8 thermal refuges in the summer.8. Completed fishery surveys on 4 ponds on Eglin AFB totaling 53 acres, andcompleted a report with recommendations for future recreational fishery needs.9. Completed final report for aquatic monitoring at Eglin AFB from 1999 to 2004.10. Completed a field collection of the endangered Okaloosa darter to be incorporatedinto a status review to be completed in FY06.11. Provided technical assistance to the Region 4 National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)program on changes to the fishery conservation targets for the region. Alsoprovided technical assistance to four NWRs (i.e., Okefenokee NWR, Banks LakeNWR, St. Vincent NWR, and St. Marks NWR) relative to hurricanes andrecreational fishing.12. A draft mussel sampling protocol was tested in wadeable streams in NorthwestFlorida and southwest Georgia, and an associated field guide, poster, andFreshwater Mussel Survey Protocol and Identification workshop were completedin FY05.13. Implemented recovery plan and candidate conservation actions for 14 listed andcandidate freshwater mussels in the Northeast Gulf Watersheds.14. Initiated or completed multiple stream restoration and watershed managementprojects. A total of 7.5 stream miles were restored for stream fishes, and 11 milesof coastline were enhanced for sea turtle lighting. A total of 630 acres ofwetlands and 2,401 acres of understory habitat were restored.15. Conducted a watershed assessment to develop a threats analysis for prioritizingrestoration, protection, and enhancement to natural resources of Spring Creek,Georgia and Canoe Creek, Florida.16. Continued the formation of an Unpaved Road Interagency Team of Federal, State,and local agencies in Northwest Florida to promote stream protection andrestoration from unpaved road sediment runoff. Began the development of atechnical committee agreement.17. Conducted Alabama Unpaved Road Inventory within the Northeast GulfEcosystem. Data collection will be completed during FY06.18. Finalized the development of two North Florida hydrophysiographic regionalcurves for use by the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) and othersinvolved with stream restoration and protection. Initiated the development of theAlabama Coastal Plain Riparian Reference Reach and Regional Curves for use bythe Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).19. Provided technical assistance in collecting data, analysis, and thesis formulationwith Troy University, Alabama, to identify the influence of large woody debris insoutheastern coastal plain streams.20. Completed pre- and post-restoration fish community monitoring at severalrestoration projects including Big Escambia Creek, Magnolia Creek, and OysterLake, Florida.21. Established a watershed partnership for the Chipola River in Alabama and Floridaand expanded development and participation in the Spring Creek WatershedPartnership, Georgia.22. Continued to identify barriers which inhibit the movement of aquatic specieswithin the Northeast Gulf Ecoregion.23. Completed a report on road crossing structures in Okaloosa darter streams toguide the closure/repair/maintenance of roads to contribute to recovery of theendangered species. In cooperation with Three Rivers RC&D Council, fishpassage sites identified in the report were prioritized for restoration.24. Monitored Aquatic Nuisance Species in the Apalachicola River and tested thesterility of exotic grass carp.25. Multiple outreach projects were completed to detail aquatic resourcesconservation needs and opportunities. Participated in National Fishing Weekevent, several festivals, and school outreach.
2006-01-01T00:00:00Z