When we, the Fisheries Division of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, does an Aquatic Habitat rehabilitation project, our goals are usually much larger than just providing a few fish attractor structures. Do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with brush piles, log cribs, root wads, broken concrete, etc. that can be placed in a waterbody to attract fish and make them easier to find and catch. But, when we are doing a rehabilitation project we usually have “bigger fish to fry” and are trying to protect shorelines, reduce sedimentation and improve water quality. Cleaner water from those rehabilitation techniques results in more shallow water cover, especially aquatic vegetation, and better water clarity which in turn increases productivity which ultimately provides more and bigger fish to catch–a much bigger goal than just adding some fish attractors.
However, we often add a variety of fish attractors when doing a rehabilitation project and we often do that kind of work in conjunction with volunteers. Many times a fishing group or club will offer to help drag cedar trees out onto a waterbody, and then wire concrete blocks to them to keep them from floating away. When I am contacted by an individual or group interested in doing that type of project on one of their favorite fishing holes, I usually put them in contact with our regional fisheries supervisors to get the ball rolling.
If you think you might be interested in doing that type of project, especially if you are a member of a club or group that might be interested, I want you to know about an offer that will facilitate such projects. . . .
The Friends of Reservoirs is a non-profit foundation that has been established to “promote the protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitat for fish and other aquatic species in reservoir systems”. They have a couple of grants available that non-government organizations can apply for to be used for the placement of fish attractor structures in reservoirs. There are two different grants, the application and process is similar for both; read all about them here:
RFP_Small_Projects_Grant_FY2020
REQUEST_ FOR_ PROPOSALS_Mossback grants_FY2020
If you are interested in pursuing these grants and need some assistance in completing the applications, do not hesitate to ask, daryl.bauer@nebraska.gov.
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