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mlf fisheries management division ’ s 2022 success story
Habitat projects , cleanup efforts , research and education progams set tone for 2023
By Steven Bardin and Gary Klein
With the conclusion of our fourth Minn Kota Habitat Restoration project in November , the MLF Fisheries Management Division in partnership with Berkley Labs completed all our planned 2022 projects . It ’ s amazing to look at all that has been accomplished since we officially announced the FMD in March at REDCREST .
We unveiled our partnership with Berkley Labs , Costa , Mercury Marine , Ferguson , MossBack Fish Habitat and SeaArk at REDCREST in Tulsa , Oklahoma , and also announced the Costa Clean Water Matters Campaign and our plan to use the revolutionary Correct Craft Lake Clean Up boat to collect trash by land and water throughout the year .
We had aggressive goals for 2022 , and we ’ re pleased to report that we exceeded our expectations .
building fish habitat to build a better fishing future
REDCREST 2022 was also the site of the industry ’ s first live habitat build in an expo . At the Ferguson Habitat Build booth , members of the Union Sportsmen ’ s Alliance joined the FMD in constructing 100 Georgia Cube homemade structures and MossBack Fish Habitat products donated by MossBack , the Kevin VanDam Foundation and REDCREST attendees . The habitats were given to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and deployed into Lake Bixhoma in March and Grand Lake O ’ the Cherokees and Lake Eufaula in July .
A month later , we announced the addition of our partnership with Minn Kota and the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Projects . This partnership allowed us the ability to complete three additional habitat projects in 2022 . The first was at the Duck River Reservoir in Cullman , Alabama , supported by Mercury Marine and Mossback Fish Habitat . It took place during the off day of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on Guntersville .
FMD directors were joined by Pro Circuit anglers Evan Barns , Greg Bohannan , Bill McDonald , James Niggemeyer and Gary Klein .
In June , the second Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project supported by Berkley Labs was completed on Lake Chickamauga and focused on the Richland Creek area . This project also included a donation to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency for an additional habitat deployment in Grasshopper Creek that took place in July .
Bass Pro Tour anglers were competing on Watts Bar during the project , so pros Casey Ashley , Josh Bertrand , Tommy Biffle , Roy Hawk , Kelly Jordon and Skeet Reese joined the FMD and TWRA to construct and deploy the habitat .
In November , while the General Tire Team Series was filming on lakes
1,300 LB .
around College Station , Texas , the FMD completed its final restoration project of the season , this time supported by Humminbird . The project took place at Lake Bryan in Bryan , Texas . Volunteers from Texas A & M University , the Union Sportsmen ’ s Alliance and MLF anglers collaborated with Texas Parks and Wildlife to complete this two-day project .
In total , between the REDCREST habitat build and the Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Projects , the FMD provided 383 individual habitats covering 29,910.97 square feet with a value of $ 93,599.26 . These habitats went into six fisheries in four states .
doing our part to clean our nation ’ s premier fisheries
The four Costa Clean Water Matters shoreline trash cleanups supported by SeaArk were completed at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri , the James River in Virginia , Lake Champlain in New York and Lake Cayuga in New York . In total , our volunteers covered 12 miles of shoreline and the Correct Craft Lake Clean Up boat covered an additional 6 miles by water . These teams combined to collect over 1,300 pounds of trash from the four reservoirs .
Bass Pro Tour anglers Casey Ashley , Kevin VanDam and Gary Klein were joined by University of Missouri
16 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2023