By DAVID RAINER
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

With lake water levels at or near historic lows across central and north Alabama, the affect of the prolonged drought will impact the human users considerably more than the wildlife and aquatic species, according to Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) officials.

Although both Lake Wedowee (R.L. Harris Reservoir) and Lake Martin are 14 feet below normal summer levels, Stan Cook, Chief of the Fisheries Section for the ADCNR’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, said the fish and other aquatic species adapt to the prevailing conditions.

“When you think about drought, it’s just the opposite of floods and wet conditions,” Cook said. “Those and all other rainfall conditions in between are natural events. In a riverine system, whatever the aquatic creature, it has adapted to where it can deal with either range of conditions. Some prefer wet conditions, some prefer dry. The environmental impact on aquatic species will determine whether these species are in great abundance or low abundance. It’s just a cycle of nature.

For instance, Cook said bluegill and largemouth bass survive fairly well in low-water conditions. In conditions of considerable water flow, the species that thrive include spotted bass, smallmouth bass and redeye bass, whereas those conditions are not favorable for largemouth bass.

“When we move into a life phase such as like spawning, it’s all about timing,” Cook said. “With this drought, we doubt that bass spawning was impacted this year. In a lake type of environment, they should spawn fine. But the bass fingerlings may be impacted in their ability to feed and store fatty deposits to survive winter. If winter is not cold, more will survive. We won’t know until next spring and summer when we do our annual surveys.”

Cook said adult populations of fish won’t likely be severely impacted unless the drought conditions persist.
“Take Logan Martin or Lake Martin, or any reservoir taken out of its normal full pool level, you’ve crowded the fish into conditions they’re not accustomed to,” he said. “You’ve crowded the forage up and allow the predators to feed on that forage, assuming the forage is there. This condition, if temporary, can have a positive effect on growth.

“If conditions worsen, you may get predator fish that have depleted their forage and the forage fish may not be able to support the feeding pressure. As more environmental stress is put on fish because of climate conditions, you have an increase in disease and parasite infestations. But it is much harder to determine, immediately, if there is a significant impact to fish abundance. If we see a downturn in fish abundance during next spring’s survey, we possibly can blame it on disease and parasites.”

Cook said the thing for anglers to keep in mind is that this is just one of the natural cycles in fish populations.
“When bass are not as abundant, you’ve going to see better growth than in years when there is an over abundance,” he said. “There will be fewer mouths out there to feed and there will be plenty of forage available. These bass grow faster and may have several year classes in excellent condition.

“The only negative that concerns me, is if we experience another dry spring and summer next year. Then we could see some negative impact on bass or crappie species. When poor conditions occur two years in a row, it’s hard to maintain an abundant population. That’s when the anglers will feel the pinch. But in the natural cycle, once again, things will rebound and get better.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) isn’t monitoring the conditions and considering possible management options, and if deemed necessary, take regulatory action to protect parent stock.

“All we can do as biologists is to observe possible negative impacts to our fisheries and if regulatory changes are needed, ask anglers to support the resource by abiding by any protective measures,” Cook said.
The current problem WFF is dealing with is a lack of usable public access.

“As the drought extended into the fall, we began to assess the ability of boat owners to use boat ramps on impounded storage waters like Lewis Smith, Logan Martin, R.L. Harris, Lake Martin and Lake Weiss to some extent,” Cook said. “When you drop below the normal winter pool, you run out of useable ramp surface. And it’s not as easy a fix as people might think. The contour of the bottom has a lot to do with whether a ramp can be extended. If it’s flat, you won’t do any good to add to the ramp.”

Currently, WFF work crews have extended one lane of the boat ramp at Kowaliga on Lake Martin. The crew is being moved to Pace’s Point on Lake Martin to extend one lane there, followed by a return to Kowaliga to extend the other lane.

“Then we’ll move to Harris and go to Road End ramp and see about extending that one,” Cook said. “Following work on R.L. Harris, we’re going to Lewis Smith to work on a ramp there. Weiss is high enough to where we have ramps that are still useable. There are no state ramps on Logan Martin, so there’s nothing we can do there.”

When anglers or boaters do manage to get their vessels launched, the low-water conditions can make navigation much more hazardous than normal.

“The main thing we try to tell people is they need to be very aware that water levels are lower than the norm for this time of year,” said Lt. Erica Shipman of the ADCNR’s Marine Police Division. “They need to keep an extra sharp lookout when traveling by water for hazards that normally would not be a problem that are a problem at this time. These include shoals, sand bars, stumps, logs and boulders. And we need to caution people about running the shoreline. Now the shorelines are farther out than normal, so be careful about running the shoreline. You don’t know, literally, what you might run into.”

Capt. Bob Huffaker added: “People really need to be very familiar with that waterway. They need to be extremely careful – be more aware of the possibilities of encountering a hazard because of the water level. You’ve just got to be vigilant. And, we recommend you carry a spare prop.”

Sgt. Gary Buchanan patrols Lake Martin and recommends that even long-time lake residents and users shouldn’t take their normal travel routes for granted.

“Lake Martin is down about 14 feet, which is 4 feet below normal winter pool,” Buchanan said. “There are all kinds of hazards that even people very familiar with the lake aren’t accustomed to. If you know where the channel is, it’d be better to stay there. Boaters need to slow down and take their time. People who have been on the lake during the winter time, we’re still talking about 4 feet below what they’re used to.”

There is one bit of good news for boaters and anglers in north Alabama, according to Capt. Huffaker.
“There’s really no noticeable change in water levels at this time on the Tennessee River,” he said. “It’s a safe, acceptable waterway for boat owners.”