NEW SPECIES COMING TO RIVANNA RIVER THIS SPRING

To meet a growing interest, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries officials are set to stock the Rivanna River with southern strain walleye this spring.

    Walleye, a family member of the northern pike, pickerel, musky, and yellow perch, are naturally northern fish, native to Canada and the northern United States.  Their name is a result of their outward-facing eyes glazed with a reflective pigment that allows them to see well at night or in stained water.  Like its relatives, the walleye has a jaw full of sharp teeth used to pin baitfish.  In the north, walleye enjoy a strong, dedicated following, many of whom value the fish as excellent table fare, similar to pickerel (another tasty treat).

    In Virginia, walleye are native only to the New River and its tributaries; and Virginians wishing to pursue the feisty, cold-water creature have to take their efforts to the western part of the state to do so, for the most part.

    In the 80s and 90s, the DGIF experimentally stocked walleye in just about every body of water they managed.  But by spreading their stocks so thin, and doing so only one year, nothing much arose from it.  Still, certain fisheries (Lake Anna being one) still boast a miniscule population of the wall-eyed fish, but nothing much for fishermen to take advantage of.

    But with more determination and a more narrowed focus, DGIF biologists are now setting their sights on Central Virginia.  “We’ve been talking about stocking walleye in area rivers for a couple years, now,” said Johnathan Harris, District Fisheries Biologist overseeing the Rivanna River drainage.  “The main purpose of the program is to create a new recreational fishery and possibly even create brood stock for future stockings in the eastern part of the state.  We’re also looking at stocking in the Shenandoah River.”

    If Harris can get his hands on the full number of fingerlings requested from hatcheries in the western part of the state, they will stock 30,000 fingerlings at four points along the River’s course between the Rivanna Reservoir dam in Charlottesville and the town of Palmyra on the River’s lower stretches.

    A catchable population of fish is the desired outcome of the project; but as walleye have never been monitored or seriously supported in the Rivanna River, Harris notes, it’s hard to predict the outcome.  “We plan to stock on a five year program.  If it’s doing well we’ll continue the process.  Walleye do not reproduce naturally with the added fishing pressure, even in the New River where they are native, so annual stockings will keep populations strong,” said Harris.

    If the program is indeed a success, typical growth rates will have fish measuring up to the recently-implemented statewide slot limit of 18 inches in three to five years.

    The Rivanna River has been known foremost as a smallmouth bass fishery since the fish’s accidental diffusion east of the Ohio River in the mid-1800s, and gives up trophy-sized fish every year, especially in its lower reaches.  But the addition of another predatory fish is not expected to be too big of an issue.  “There will be a bit of a squeeze,” Harris projects.  “Both are predatory fish, and will have to compete a little for food.”  However, Harris notes that they will not be stocking in large densities (roughly 1,000 fingerlings per river mile); and critical competition and any consequences are not likely.

    What is likely in the success of this project is the addition of a relative novelty to the Rivanna.  “Walleye, especially in the New River, are very river-running fish,” Harris reported.  “In the summer and winter, they hang out in deeper water areas, but starting in February, they will begin running up river until they hit nice rocky shoals where they can spawn.”  While Rivanna’s shad runs aren’t what they used to be, this project’s success could grant the Rivanna River a new claim to fame.

Originally published in the Rural Virginian

NEW SPECIES COMING SOON TO LAKE ANNA

Lake Anna, the 9,600-acre reservoir on the North Anna and Pamunkey Rivers, is one of the most bio-diverse impoundments in the state.  Anglers of all pursuits can find opportunity there, from America's favorite largemouth bass to the regionally-sparse walleye.

But this year, another aquatic citizen will be introduced to the wide-open waters of Lake Anna.  Look for more info in an upcoming column, or check back here in the coming weeks!□

SOUTH AMERICAN MAMMAL MAY BE NEW SPECIES

    Scientists agree that the immense biodiversity represented in the plants and insects of our planet’s wild places accounts for the bulk of the estimated seven million species unknown to biology.  But the discovery of a new mammal?  It’s a rare happening; but not one altogether impossible.

Olinguito.  Public Domain Photo

    On August 15, a team of Smithsonian scientists, led by Kristofer Helgen, Curator of Mammals at the National Natural History Museum, made an outstanding discovery—the first of its kind in over 35 years.  After extensive investigation, the team announced the discovery of a small carnivorous mammal—the olinguito.

    The olinguito, or Bassaricyon neblito, is related to a small group of tree-dwelling mammals native to the Rainforests of South America, the olingos.  Relatives of the raccoons, coatis, kinkajous, and olingos, olinguitos resemble teddy bears, with large eyes and a thick, earthy brown coat; but are notably smaller than the rest of the olingos, hence their name.

    Species of olingos inhabit the same geographic region—the cloud forests of the Andes mountain range, spanning from Colombia to Ecuador—but habitats vary in elevation.  Just how many species of olingos should be recognized as separate by taxonomy has long been a source of confusion.

    Resolving this issue was the sole purpose of the study conducted by Helgen and his team—until it became apparent that he was on to something bigger.  After examining over 90 percent of the world’s museum-bound olingos, processing DNA sequences, and reviewing historic field data, he was struck with an anomaly.

    Helgen reports that he first noticed a marked inconsistency in certain specimens’ teeth and skulls.  Upon further examination, it was noticed that the undescribed species also grew a longer and thicker coat than other olingos.  This inconsistency, after reviewing field logs, was attributed to a known species of olingos, which were observed at elevations of 5,000 to 9,000 feet in an isolated region of the Andes Mountains in the early 20^th century.  The question then was, “does this species still exist in the wild?”

    Days later, Helgen and team departed for South America to research just that.  When they arrived, they quickly located the misrepresented olinguitos.

Hiding in Plain Sight

    After entering a DNA sample from an olinguito in a public database of DNA sequences, Helgen was surprised to find that there was a match. Not only was this new species residing in the trees under a false name, one specimen even traveled the country as a zoo feature under the same guise. 

    City zoos in Louisville, Tucson, Salt Lake City, and even New York City and this nation’s capital, all had records of this misidentified mammal passing through in the 1970s.  The olinguito has been hiding in plain sight.

Almost a New Species

    Hopi Hoekstra, curator of mammals at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, says that she is not yet willing to dub the olinguito a separate species.  However, she maintains that genetic data will be the last step to describing the olinguito’s existence.  The puzzle is almost complete.

    For those who have lost faith in the developing world’s sense of wilderness, the emergence of the olinguito serves as a refreshing reminder that there are still large portions of our world not thoroughly studied and understood.  Only in furthering our knowledge of biology and biodiversity can we take further measures to protect what is still here.  The olinguito, for instance, occupies a habitat on the fringe of human occupation, and is threatened by further habitat encroachment.  With any luck, this marked development in science will help to protect the olinguito and its unique habitat.  

Originally published in the Rural Virginian