Outdoors digest 6/21/02

Area cave fish could be added to endangered list

The grotto sculpin, a small fish found only in a few cave streams in Southeast Missouri, has been designated a candidate to be considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for addition to the list of endangered and threatened species.

The sculpin is among 16 species recently named by the Service as candidates for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The grotto sculpin is about 2 1/2 inches long and lives only in five cave streams in Perry County. Biologists believe that only a few thousand fish make up the entire population. Threats facing the grotto sculpin include degraded water quality in its cave stream habitat.

Blue Springs man sets common carp record

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- Tim Dernosek won't likely need to worry about whether the record he recently set will be broken any time soon. The common carp he caught May 28 at Lake Lotawana topped the previous record by nearly 20 pounds.

Dernosek was bowfishing at 11:15 p.m. when he shot the 55-pound, 1-ounce female common carp. The previous record was a 35-pound, 9-ounce fish taken from Lake Lotawana in May 1999.

Dernosek said the biggest common carp he had ever seen was about 15 pounds before catching his state-record fish.

MDC looks for answer to James River fish kill

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Hot weather and a drop in the water level in the James River below Lake Springfield contributed to the death of 88 paddlefish, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Besides the paddlefish, fisheries biologists found about 100 other dead fish of other species, including black bass and catfish. They said evidence points to a combination of contributing factors, including hot weather.

The City of Springfield uses water from the lake to cool its electric generating plant. Paddlefish swim upstream to spawn in the spring, congregating below dams and other manmade barriers. Normally, paddlefish would swim back downstream to escape adverse conditions, but a drop in the river's level trapped them as water temperatures rose and dissolved oxygen levels fell.

Firearms card distributed to Missouri officers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Western Missouri Shooters Alliance is providing free copies of its "Stay Out of Jail" firearms fact card to Missouri sheriffs for distribution in their areas.

The card, in its fourth edition, was written by Kevin Jamison, a lawyer with experience in firearms law. It corrects misunderstandings on firearms and self-defense law, including the misconception that Missourians may own hunting guns after they're off probation. It is true under state law, but remains a felony under federal law, Jamison said.

Another misconception is about concealed weapons. Permits are issues only by the City of St. Louis for concealed weapons, and only to corporate security officers.

"It doesn't have to make sense," Jamison said, "it's just the law."

More than 5,000 cards have been distributed to Missouri sheriffs offices.

-- From staff reports