CCA Seining Reveals Mysteries of the Deep

What lurks beneath the waters of our community's many lagoons? No sunken treasure, for sure, but there is a treasure trove of information down there that can help the Skidaway Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) quantify the success of fish hatches and provide important data for future fish stocking needs.

Our seining program is the key diagnostic tool in obtaining the facts we need. CCA Skidaway Chapter volunteers use a very fine mesh net that is rectangular in shape and about 10 feet long and five feet high. This net is anchored on shore while a volunteer wades out into the lagoon holding the other end of the net taut while trying to make a semicircular swing that brings him back to shore. Other volunteers then pull the net ashore and quickly count the small fish and other aquatic creatures before dumping them back into the water.

This type of seining helps identify the makeup of what’s living in a lagoon and helps document the reproductive success of particular fish species. Recently, a dozen local CCA volunteers seined 22 lagoons on island. Rich Hackett, who heads up CCA's seining program, noted that, “Many small lagoons were loaded with both shad and bass hatch, a prime indicator of future growth.”

“Thanks to our ongoing efforts, including our electrofishing, seining, stocking, aquatic planting and fish structures, a number of our lagoons offer trophy bass opportunities, as well as family fishing fun" Hackett emphasized. Healthy fish populations also are a key component of the habitat needed by the wide range of native birds and wildlife on our island.”

The Skidaway Chapter of the CCA is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization with all donations going directly to sustain and improve our island’s aquatic environments. The next time you have a great day of fishing on island, you can tip your hat to the Skidaway Chapter of the CCA. For more information, and to see how you can contribute and volunteer, please visit www.ccaskidaway.org.