To Fish For Fun Or To Fish For Food?

(Eddie Bilezekian)

Consider the following series of Norman Rockwell vignettes. A boy heads  for the creek with a pole in one hand and a can of bait in the other. After enjoying  a couple of hours of angling on the banks of a pristine stream  he returns home with a creel full of fish. As he gets home his mother  gives him a pat on the back, cleans the fish  and serves it  for dinner to the entire family's delight. It sounds great but there is a problem. The fish may be laced with PCBs, chlordane, mercury or a host of other toxic substances.

According to information provided by West Virginia's Division of Natural Resources a number of our rivers are so polluted that no fish taken from their waters should be consumed. The current edition of the  State's Fishing Regulation handbook displays several levels of "advisories" concerning the consumption of fish taken from the State' rivers. These cautions range from "DO NOT EAT"  any non-game fish for the upper Potomac, starting at the mouth of the Cacapon; to "restrict meals to once a week" or "once month"  for smallmouth bass and other species of fish taken from the Ohio. The North Branch [of the Potomac] the Kanawha and the Shenandoah carry a "DO NOT EAT" advisory for bottom feeding species such as catfish and carp. Although the Cacapon  is not included in these advisories one can on occasion detect suspicious substances such as raw sewage and soap suds floating on the surface of this river. As long as some people treat our rivers  as  sewage  drains it is best to return all fish to the river.

Crossing the Potomac to  go fishing in Maryland does not increase one's chances to eat healthy fish either. Restrictions similar to ours apply to Maryland's  [non-tidal] fish. But the information in the Maryland Sportfishing Guide is more specific. For instance: meals sizes are given as  8 ounces for the general population, 6 ounces for women of child bearing age and 3 ounces for children below the age of 6.  Recommended frequency of each meal goes from one a year to 8 per month. Heading into Pennsylvania  to find edible fish becomes an even more dicey proposition. Their fishing guide has nearly four  [8X11] pages of information on the subject. Each river or lake is listed separately with its own advisory and the name of the main pollutant [such as chlordane or mercury] found in its waters. The frequency of meals goes from none to  2 meals a month.      

My suspicion is that practically every state in the union carries some form of restriction on fish consumption.  The question is : what shall we do about it? The answer is very simple: ENFORCE THE CLEAN WATER ACT. The laws are there on the books; what is missing is the willingness to enforce them.  Instead, the farmer is blaming industry, industry is blaming the farmer and we, the land owners are blaming both the farmers and  industry . Under those circumstances the future health of our rivers and all creatures [including insects, birds and mammals] depending on their purity for their survival is in jeopardy.

Fish in the Cacapon River III

(by Don Robinson) 

This is the third article in the series and is devoted to the minnow, order Cyprinids. From the minnow family, the Cacapon River gets its largest as well as smallest fish. I was unable to locate pictures I could use of these, but the Peterson Field Guide would be a good resource for those interested. If you are getting the web version of the newsletter, the links provided should give a photo and further description. The next newsletter will have the conclusion involving other fish not yet listed.  

Cutlips Minnow (Exoglossum maxillingua) About 5” long. Spawns late spring early summer, builds a mound of gravel 1 foot in diameter, a few inches high in clear streams. Likes clear pools and riffles of rivers and creeks. A curious thing about this fish is that it has a habit of plucking the eyes out of other fishes. Picture. 

Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis). This is the largest minnow native to eastern North America, but not the largest in the Cacapon. They can grow to around 20 inches. The male builds the largest nest known, a gravel mound nest to three feet high or more with a pit on the downstream side, to protect the eggs laid by its mate. They are sexually mature in 2 to 3 years, and spawn in late April through early June. The adults feed on insects, crayfish, other fish, and algae, and the young feed on phytoplankton, zooplankton and insects. Picture. 

River chub (Nocomis micropogon). Picture. Length can go to around 12 inches. They spawn mid-spring to early summer. The breeding male has a pink-blue head and body and large tubercles on its snout. Fishermen often use this minnow as bait. They are sexually mature at 2 to 3 years, and are bottom feeders, eating insect larva, worms, crustaceans, mollusks, other fish and some plants.  

Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) Picture. Length is to about 8 inches. They are sexually mature in 1 to 5 years. The breeding male has a black band on orange dorsal and anal fins, and digs a spawning pit. They feed on algae and debris.  

Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Picture. These sometimes huge fish can grow to 48 inches. I have seen from a canoe carp that were at least three feet in length. This fish is an invasive bottom feeder, introduced into this country in 1831 and now widely distributed. Certainly by weight, this is the largest of the Cacapon fish. They become sexually mature in 2 to 4 years. Eggs are deposited in backwaters and along the shoreline in late may or early June. A female can lay 2 million eggs in a season. For food, this fish roots around on muddy bottoms for plants, fish eggs, insects and other invertebrates, thus increasing turbidity as well as destroying the nests of other fish. It is a sport fish for some, who enjoy the size and challenge of the catch, but few people eat them as they are bony and muddy tasting unless properly prepared. There is a fisherman’s joke that proper preparation involves nailing the fish to a board, scaling it and gutting it, then throwing it away and eating the board. 

Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) Picture.

Its food consists of algae, insect larva, diatoms. Spawning males develop a black head and bluish body. Spawning Spring to Fall, their sticky eggs are laid under rocks and logs. The female lays 40-400 eggs, and the male guards the nest, fanning away silt, defending against predation, and removing eggs that are damaged by fungus. They hatch in 8-12 days. Slightly fatter females are sexually mature at 1 year. The males are slightly longer, reach a peak at around two years, though the lifespan is only 5 years. They like clear, slow water with rocky bottoms. This tiny fish (to 4.25 inches) is prey to almost all of the other fish in the Cacapon, and also birds and reptiles. For protection, they are usually found in schools. These are the smallest mature fish in the Cacapon.  

Shiners

Spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera) Picture. Satinfin shiner (Cyprinella analostana) Picture. There is a place my family often paddles to lie down in swift water for the relaxing ‘body massage’. I think one of these fish is common to that stretch of river, as the beautiful white fin tips are a source of awe and wonder. I wear swim goggles and watch as the small fish (up to 4.75 inches) feed on things too small for me to see that pass by the fish in the swift current. Probably they are eating micro-crustaceans, insect larva, algae and debris. They are sexually mature in 1 to 2 years and spawn from mid June (mid May for the satinfin) to mid August, laying eggs in crevices, tree roots and other bottom layers. The satinfin differs from the spotfin in looks since the satinfin has no dark blotches on the dorsal fin. I am going to find out this summer which of these we’ve been observing by checking for the blotches.

President’s Letter

Happy New Year. Let’s hope this year that the Cacapon River spends more time at its normal levels. We had a lot of high water last year and Isabel did a number on some of us. The river came within a foot of coming into my cabin (and I’m about 30' above the normal level)! I was in Wisconsin at the time and all I could do was worry. One of the things I hope to accomplish this year is to get a better understanding of the resources available to know the daily river levels and rainfall amount and the various ways to access this information by internet or phone. Hopefully we will have a piece in the next Newsletter. If anyone would like to work on this project, let me know, since I am not computer/internet person.

Our booth at the Apple Butter Festival was a success. We were joined by the Friends of Sleepy Creek and a half dozen other environmental groups. We sold a lot of raffle tickets for the slightly used aluminum Grumman canoe, signed up several new members and talked to a lot of people interested in the river.

At our annual meeting on Nov.22 we elected four new members to the Board of Directors: Paula Porpilia (who lives near the river near Great. Cacapon, Mercedes and Paul Tibbits (1 vote) who have a cabin near Great Cacapon, and Ann Bilezikian (who will share a vote with her husband and current member Eddie). Eddie and Don Robinson were reelected to the Board. Officers will be elected at the next Board meeting on Jan 24. The winner of the canoe raffle was Diana Courtney who has a cabin near Largent. Congratulation and I hope to see you on the river. Our speaker at the Annual meeting was Jack Soronen with the Morgan County Planning Commission who told us how and why we should get more involved in the planning process in the County, especially when it related to issues that can have an impact on the river. More detailed notes on his talk can be found in the minute of the meeting elsewhere in the Newsletter.

The minutes also include a list of some of the activities we plan to work on this year. Our first major activity will be our participation in the "Make it Shine" River Cleanup which will occur during the latter part of April. Watch our website for the exact dates and places. A number of our members indicated on their membership forms that they would like to be more active this year. We are keeping a list of these people and will be contacting you soon to find out what kinds of things you are interesting in doing. We really need more active people, so please let us know if you want to be more involved.

I would like to thank Don Robinson, our webmaster and Mercedes Tibbits for getting our "Homeowner’s Packet: a guide for families living along a waterway," in a format that makes it available on our website. A major thanks also goes to Barbara Tufty and Abby Chapple who originally prepared this very useful set of materials.

One final note. If you haven’t renewed your membership for 2004, there is a form elsewhere on the website.

Ron Wilson, President, FCR.

FRIENDS OF THE CACAPON RIVER

BOARD AND ANNUAL MEETING

11/22/03 - METHODIST CHURCH PRESBYTERY, GREAT CACAPON
Edited Minutes:

Members present on this pleasantly sunny and mild November morning: Ron Wilson, Ruth Storhaug, Eddie and Ann Bilezikian, Bill Clow, Don Robinson, Paula Porpilia, Mercedes and Paul Tibbits, David LeSage (author of these Minutes) and our guest speaker, Jack Soronen, with the Morgan County Planning Commission.

1. Ron introduced our guest speaker, stating that our particular interest was how we can work with the Morgan County Planning Commission and potential future "developers" in the Cacapon watershed, so as to minimize the negative impact of "development" on the quality of the Cacapon River.

2. Jack thanked us for the opportunity to address the Friends of the Cacapon River. He sees us as a group with history, visibility, credibility and clout. He encouraged us to become involved as citizens of the community working for the common good.

3. Question: "When and how to get involved if a developer intends to bring about a 'change in appearance' in the watershed?". Answer: At the Planning Commission meeting when the developer presents the preliminary plat: a surveyer's depiction of what the development would look like. Planning Commission meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of the month. There is always a Notice in the Messenger of a "Preliminary Plat to be submitted". Jack indicated that the Commission is "participant friendly" and wants maximum citizen input.

4. Another opportunity to get involved will be in the '04 Revision of the Comprehensive Plan and a review of the current Ordinances (several of which have come up against recent legal challenges). There are two Comprehensive Plans, one from the 70's, the other from the 80's. Jack feels the 70's is the better one, but neither has much substance. The revision will consist primarily in "setting goals", which are not legal documents, but recommendations made to the County Commissioners. Jack commented that the WV State Government keeps much of the power at the State level, and only parcels out limited power to the counties, much of which resides with the County Commissioners.

5. Ron asked if "week-enders" could have as much input as "permanent residents" in Planning Commission issues. Jack answered a resounding YES! He commented that the important factor was "HOW" the issues are formulated: not to be "confronting", not to "affront what is", but look for a "common ground". Jack's emphasis throughout was on DIALOGUE between the Commission and citizens.

6. Don mentioned that up-river Hampshire and Hardy counties have potentially more negative impact (eg. agriculture) on the Cacapon than Morgan County: "Who should we be talking to in those counties?". Jack suggested that Rebecca Macleod, with the Soil Conservation, might be the best link.

7. Eddie mentioned that we could partner with the Sleepy Creek Watershed Association in addressing Planning Commission issues that affect the waters.

8. Ruth brought up a concern of Abby Chapple's re: septic tanks in flood plains. Jack indicated it was more a Health Department issue than the Planning Commission. (He also left us a copy of the current Flood Plains Ordinance).

9. Jack informed us that he is also the Chairman of the Rural Water Committee. Its role is to assess the water resources required 25 years out to meet current and projected needs. Current emphasis is on "underground water sources" rather than "surface waters" like the Cacapon River. As part of that study project, "tax maps" will be developed that overlay to indicate where waters are, where roads are, where residences exist, etc.

10. Jack indicated that if we want to include an agenda item for a Planning Commission meeting, we simply need to phone Alma Gorse, County Planner and Assistant County Administrator.

11. Ron stated that local residents of FCR should keep an eye on Planning Commission meeting agendas and plan to be present for meetings dealing with issues that affect our mission of "protecting and preserving the Cacapon".

12. As a "thank you", Ron presented Jack with a "Cacapon River" license plate!

13. The Minutes of the last meeting were approved.

14. Treasurer's Report

We have received $2474.00. $588.00 was for raffle tickets. We have spent $300.00 for the canoe. We now have a balance of $8935.69 in the checking account.

The savings account has $6068.54. This money received from the Stream Partners' program.

15. Report on Apple Butter Festival

"It was worth it" said Ron. Raffle ticket sales and membership increased.

Drawing for Raffle Canoe

Jack picked three ticket stubs. We picked three in case "someone died, someone didn't want the canoe, or whatever contingency might arise". The three winners were, in order of 1st, 2nd and 3rd': Diana Courtney from the Baltimore area, Jim Donahue from DC, and Barbara Clark from Pasadena MD.

16. President's Report on last year's activities

We've almost completed the river-bank restoration project; the Newsletter is now on the web-site.

17. Major Plans for Next Year

Continuation of the study on the Hydrilla plant invasion. Also, there is renewed interest in restarting the study of the rare, fragile and endangered plant, harpyrella. Abby Chapple suggests potential resources include Kieran O'Malley, regional biologist, expert on harperella; and Paul Harmon, State Botanist, who is also knowledgeable on wood turtles).

Study and report on the impacts of potential "Development" and "Sprawl" issues in Morgan and Hampshire Counties.

Barbara Tufty's study and report on the possible "Wild and Scenic" designation for the Cacapon River. There are several stringent criteria to meet.

Study and report on Morgan County's flood-plain ordinance for possible modifications to protect the river as well as just physical property.

Expand FCR membership to riverfront owners in Hampshire County.

Work with Don and Dave (Royston) to have an e-mail membership mailing list, for the Newsletter, Meeting Announcements, and other purposes.

Ron wants more "committees" to work on "special issues". In the recent mail-out to membership, 6 indicated they wanted to "be more active" with FCR. Ron will follow-up.

18. Elections.

In addition to the current standing Board Members, the following were elected to 3-year terms: Eddie and Ann Bilezikian (1 vote only for the two); Don Robinson; Paula Porpilia; Mercedes and Paul Tibbits (1 vote only for the two).

19. Special Award

Eddie Bilezikian shared with us a plaque and write-up he received from the WV Department of Environmental Protection for a "2002 Environmental Stewardship Award for Volunteer Monitoring". The award was signed by Gov Bob Wise. The write-up will be given to Barbara Tufty for an article to be included in the Morgan Messenger.

20. Next Board Meeting is scheduled for Saturday January 24, '04, 10AM, at Barbara Tufty's cabin. If her cabin is not available, we will try for the Church parsonage again.

Happy Holidays to all as we end the year, and look forward to another - hopefully without flooding, along the Cacapon!