Pilot program will spend $4.5 million on Table Rock Lake fisheries
by Melissa Yeager, KY3 News
BRANSON, Mo. — A new program commits $4.5 million to improve fish habitats and water quality at Table Rock Lake. The Missouri Department of Conservation hopes to prevent the lake from running out of fish.
In the 50 years since Table Rock Lake was built, the trees that were left at the bottom of the lake have slowly disappeared, making the lake less hospitable to fish. This new program aims to bring back those habitats and improve the quality of the water.
Easton Hess was fishing Thursday afternoon. As he kept casting, passing fishermen offered advice to help grow his love of fishing.
A lot of people are willing to invest a lot of money to keep the fish biting for Hess and other anglers.
“As our reservoirs age, the interest in fishing increases and the environmental pressures on quality habitat will be key to sustain in the future,” said Matt Mauck, a state fisheries management biologist.
The Missouri Department of Conservation, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Bass Pro Shops are pooling their resources to improve fish habitats at Table Rock Lake.
“It’s still a fantastic fishery. We still have good structure but we need to think of that second phase and what we can do to improve water quality at Table Rock Lake,” said Mauck.
One way they plan to do that is using a barge to drop more trees in the lake. The barge has a hydraulic lift on it so crews can put the trees exactly where they need to be.
They also plan to use some money to help clean septic tanks to keep the water in the lake clean. They hope all this work means, even if Hess didn’t catch anything on Thursday, they will bite in the future.
Across the nation, there’s been a 20-percent drop in fish and aquatic life, so this is part of a nationwide program. Table Rock is the first lake to see the program in action.
Source: KY3 News
