SCDNR, Santee Cooper: Small fish won't be moved out of draining Lake Busbee
Conway, S.C. (WPDE) — The S.C. Department of Natural Resources and Santee Cooper say most of the fish living in Lake Busbee will not be relocated into the nearby Waccamaw River.
That decision comes after a fish survey performed on the former industrial cooling pond found "low productivity and a fish population primarily consisting of sunfish species already common in and around the adjacent Waccamaw River," according to a news release from Santee Cooper.
Santee Cooper says about 40 largemouth bass were moved from the lake into the Waccamaw River, but the survey concluded that "further attempts to capture and transport fish would not be productive, nor would any transfers provide significant benefit to the Waccamaw River ecosystem."
The power company began pumping water out of the pond on April 12, and pumping is expected to continue into May.
As the water level continues to drop and the area returns to natural wetlands, the remaining fish "will provide valuable forage for a variety of wildlife, including wood storks, herons, egrets, shorebirds, gulls, bald eagles, ospreys, turtles, alligators and raccoons," the release states.
Once the water recedes and the ground is stabilized, Santee Cooper will plant native saplings, at 300 to 400 trees per acre, matching nearby wetlands.
The planting will take place in the winter when plants are dormant and the overall transformation to natural wetlands will take several years.
http://wpde.com/news/local/scdnr-san...ng-lake-busbee
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