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Toledo Bend Bi-State Alliance
Minutes October 24, 2005
The meeting was called to order by Don Driscoll, Texas Co-Chairman.
The opening prayer was given by Joe Griffin of Pendleton Harbor Subdivision.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was lead by Don Driscoll.
Don Driscoll welcomed guest speaker, Todd Driscoll, and visitors, Chris Conner and Loren Juday. There were no new members present., however, Janna Lehman reported there is a new member to be approved that joined via the Internet.
There were no changes to the Agenda.
Minutes of the August 22, 2005 TBSSA Meeting were approved as presented. (The September 26, 2005 Meeting was not held because of Hurricane Rita).
Janna Lehman reported there are 18 Organizational Members and 25 Associate Members paid for 2005. The new balance is $1785.22 . Motion was made, seconded and approved to accept the Treasurer’s Report as given.
Old Business:
East Texas Region I Planning Committee: Bill Huegel, representative was not present.
By-Laws Changes: Don asked Janna to review changes made to the By-Laws and called for discussion. There being no further discussion on the By-Laws Changes, motion was made and seconded, and members voted to approve the By-Laws as amended.
New Business:
Approval of New Members: Members voted to approve membership to Tony Savoie of Sunset, LA. Janna will mail him a bill for membership dues.
Approval of Outstanding Bills: None
Next Meeting Date: Monday, November 28, 2005
Guest Speaker: Todd Driscoll, District Fisheries Biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was introduced. Todd thanked Don for inviting him to speak tonight, and explained his duties as District Fisheries Biologist. His area covers 15 counties in East Texas, going from Jefferson & Orange Counties up to around Marshall, but the majority of his time is spent on Lake Rayburn and Toledo Bend Reservoir. Tonight he presented an overview of the Toledo Bend Manual on management of fresh water fisheries’ resources of public waters. He noted they keep a close eye on Toledo Bend. He began his slide presentation explaining step by step what they do, why they do it, and what the department recommends at Toledo Bend. Todd explained the various Sampling Gears with the Electro-fishing method being the one used most often. This method is used for black bass and forage fish, and sampling is done on an annual basis in the Fall and Spring seasons. The second method used is Fall Trap Netting, done every 4 years to sample crappie. This method doesn’t work well in clear water and the department is experimenting to determine the best way to collect crappie. The third method, done during Winter every 2 years, is Gill Nets. Crappie, catfish, white and striped bass are sampled by this method. The fourth method is the use of Roving Creel Clerks who use a questionnaire to survey information from fishermen on all fish caught. These surveys are done for 9 days per quarter, for a total of 36 days annually, and is believed to give the most comprehensive information of all the methods used by the department. These clerks actually use boats to encounter the fishermen while they are fishing, and complete surveys. Todd also presented data for fish caught on Toledo Bend Reservoir going back to 1986 to now. He noted sample sizes have been low this year because of the low lake level and the lack of habitat for fish right now. Low lake level does not concentrate the number of fish as one might expect. Sampling is done randomly at various sites with the electro-fishing sampling and in shallow water no more than 5 or 6 feet deep. Other charts showing data for Toledo Bend catches by size and numbers for each year were presented, and also gave size based on growth years. The lake is monitored for pure Florida Bass and the Native Black Bass present. As the slide presentation continued, Todd said harvest rates of fish caught at Toledo Bend are higher than those of Sam Rayburn, for some reason. Members asked questions regarding the information on catfish data. Todd said 75 % of the anglers fish for black bass on Toledo Bend. Todd also discussed the aquatic plant life in the lake and the statistics for various years. When questions were asked about the Giant Salvinia, Todd said they have a separate crew that work with Salvinia and other problematic plants. In closing, Todd went through the management methods the department plans to continue to use to monitor the fish in Toledo Bend Reservoir. The department continues to work for standardization of regulations between Texas and Louisiana for the various kinds of fish. Todd showed numerous charts with data collected and analyzed in the process of managing fisheries on Toledo Bend Reservoir.
Don thanked Todd for the very informative and interesting presentation. Todd said the information is gathered and reported every 2 years, and anyone who would like to have a copy of these reports should give him their address or e-mail address, and he will get one to them.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:40 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Betty Griffin, Secretary
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