Trout fishing is a big deal in North Carolina! Here are five cool facts about trout fishing in our state:
1. It brings in money and jobs. Trout fishing is a huge economic benefit to our state. In 2014, it brought in an estimated $383 million and supported 3,600 jobs each year.
2. NC has more native populations of Brook Trout than anywhere in the Southeast! The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) carefully manages these populations, and also . . .
A $200 bounty on hellbenders? Say it’s not so.
“That is a rumor and absolutely untrue,” said Lori Williams, a Wildlife Diversity biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “Furthermore, the Eastern hellbender is listed as a species of special concern in North Carolina. Harming, harassing, collecting or killing one is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which can result in a fine and up to 120 days in jail.”
Hellbenders are one of the largest salamanders found in North Carolina, averaging 16-17 inches long but can grow up to 24 inches long.
Also called the “water dog,” “snot otter,” “Alleghany alligator,” among other names, the hellbender is a harmless, giant aquatic salamander found in fast-moving, clean mountain streams in . . .
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Most likely, yes. We’re now in the “prescribed burn” season—late winter and spring. The Commission uses controlled, low-level flames to restore and maintain wildlife habitat on most of the 2 million acres of state game lands used by hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers.
In North Carolina, prescribed burning is commonly conducted between January and March, when most trees are less active metabolically. Repeated burns conducted during the spring growing season eventually kill hardwood sprouts, allowing a diversity of native grasses, herbs and wildflowers to develop. These herbaceous plants are typically more valuable than hardwood sprouts for food and cover for wildlife. Without prescribed burns, wildlife in some habitats may experience low reproduction and eventual displacement. READ MORE