A gypsy moth larva.
Photo: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Gypsy moths are back in Pennsylvania.
The good news is that the pests – which can defoliate oaks – are not present in the numbers they once were.
Dave Gustafson, chief forester for the Pennsylania Game Commission, said there were times in the 1980s and 90s when gypsy moths were “devastating” the landscape on a statewide level. That’s not the case now.
But the commission sprayed for the moths on 24,000 acres of state game lands in the southeastern and southcentral portions of the state. All of the spray sites are places where the pests have defoliated trees repeatedly.
The commission spent about $700,000 on spraying last year. This year’s bill will likely be about $450,000, Gustafson said, with that funded by federal dollars.
The commission will likely spend some money like that next year and every year into the future on gypsy moth control, he added.
“It’s kind of one of those things that’s never going to go away. We’ll always have to keep our finger on the pulse of it,” he said.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources also sprayed this year, on 46,450 acres of state forest lands. It took place in the eastern and central portions of Pennsylvania.
Record released
This is one record that won’t count, not officially anyway.
A Rochester, N.Y., angler caught an 8.26-pound smallmouth bass on Lake Erie. Rather than take it to shore and have it certified, though, and kill the fish, he released it.
The current New York record is 8 pounds, 4 ounces. It was originally set on Lake Erie in 1995 and tied last June on the St. Lawrence River.
According to a story on newyorkupstate.com, the fisherman who broke that, 25-year-old Tommy Quinzi, got it on 38 feet of water on a golden shiner. It was 22 ¼ inches long.
“Yeah, a record would have been cool, but not at the expense of that fish’s life and the future of smallmouth bass in Lake Erie,” he told the website.
He and his party caught other big fish that day. He told the website they got another more than 7 pounds, five weighing over 6 and 11 of more than 5.
Free fishing
Pennsylvania will hold its second “fish for free day” on July 4.
On that day, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., anyone – residents and non-residents – can legally fish in Pennsylvania without a fishing license. All other fishing regulations apply.
That holiday was chosen because many people are expected to be picnicking that day. This will give them the chance to fish while at a state park or elsewhere.
To make things more convenient, people can borrow equipment from dozens of fishing tackle loaner sites across the state. Many of the sites are at state parks, while others are located at county parks and some public libraries.
A list of loaner sites can be found by clicking here.
Invasives
Minnesota doesn’t want bighead carp, but it’s sure got some big ones.
According to the state’s Department of Natural Resources, a bow angler recently reported taking one that was 47.5 inches long and 61.7 pounds.
The fish was taken in a private pond.
The state’s invasive fish coordinator called the fish’s size and the place it was found both “alarming.” It was found 80 miles upriver of the other place the carp have been found to date.
Details on the fish and what the state plans to do about it can be found here.
Meanwhile, in Maryland, anglers are apparently going to have to live with snakeheads.
A story in the Washington Post – read it here — notes it’s been 13 years since the so-called “Frankenfish” first showed up in the Potomac.
Originally, biologists urged anglers to kill all they found, in hopes of getting rid of them altogether. That, apparently, hasn’t worked.
Snakeheads are thriving alongside the game fish some thought they might supplant.
Moving deer
Pennsylvania’s deer aren’t welcome everywhere.
A number of states have rules against hunters bringing entire deer, or high-risk deer parts, back from states where chronic wasting disease is known to exist. Connecticut is one.
But a hunter there broke the rule – courtesy of a Pennsylvania deer farm– and is now paying the price.
According to this story, 65-year-old Wayne Simko was arrested after shooting the 24-point buck and importing it into the state, then claiming to have killed it there.
Simko was to have a hearing this week.
