Cherokee County now has approximately 36,000 new residents-with more to come! The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Fisheries division last week released 18,200 black crappie at Leesburg Landing and another 18,200 at Bay Springs Marina.
Carolyn Landrem, president, Weiss Lake Improvement Association, said the plan is to release a total of around 100,000. More releases are planned at Rooster’s Marina on Cherokee County Road 22, Weiss Mart and J.R.’s Marina in Cedar Bluff. Each fish was approximately three to four inches long.
Landrem explained about the ongoing re-stocking program
“When we put the fish in the lake for those first four years, they did a study because the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources thought there would not be a big enough survival rate of the fish that we put in,” said Landrem. “What their study showed was that there was a good survival rate. After Weiss Lake Improvement put the fish in, the state wanted to continue the studies they were doing on spawns and fish in Weiss Lake. It was the first time the state ever stocked fish in this lake or any other lake. And they have committed to us.”
Before releasing the crappie, Department of Fisheries personnel regulated the temperature of the holding tank so that the temperature was the same in the tank and in Weiss Lake. This would prevent chances of a shock to the new crappies’ body systems.
“They have done studies by marking these crappie,” said Jeremy Edwards with the Department of Fisheries. “It seems to be having an impact on the crappie population. They are finding something to mark. We are doing a good thing.”
Cherokee County Herald
