Trooper Eric Workman Foundation Donates Equipment to Support WVDNR Muskellunge Efforts

The Trooper Eric Workman Foundation has donated several research items to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources totaling approximately $2,700 from a “wish list” created by Palestine State Fish Hatchery manager Rodney Null. The equipment donation will enable hatchery staff to optimize their muskellunge efforts, while allowing funds which would normally be used for these purchases to go for other DNR projects, according to Bret Preston, WVDNR assistant chief for warm water fisheries.
The Trooper Eric Workman Foundation is also planning to donate minnows in 2016 to help feed growing muskellunge before they are stocked into state waters. A similar donation was made in 2015.
Items donated include:
•    Six MacDonald hatching jars, which are industry standard jars used to uniformly rotate fertilized muskellunge/fish eggs during the incubation stage. Once hatched, fry can be gathered and moved to troughs and ultimately to grow-out ponds.
•    Two pH meters, which will be used to optimize hatching rates by allowing staff to check and maintain proper pH levels for egg, milt and buffering solutions.
•    Two Conical hatching jars for brine shrimp (think sea monkeys), which are an optimal feed to start young muskellunge fry on after they absorb their yolk sac. These jars will help keep a steady supply available for young muskellunge before being transferred to grow-out ponds where they will then be fed a diet of minnows.
•    One Kasco aerator to be used to aerate hatchery ponds with high occupancy especially during summer months.
•    Three air stones, which are placed in hauling tanks and are used to diffuse pure oxygen into hauling water, allowing staff to safely haul/move fish for a variety of purposes.
•    Additionally, two PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag readers were delivered that were purchased last year by the Foundation. A number of ongoing research projects use PIT tags to tag muskellunge for future recognition/recapture.
“DNR greatly appreciates the contributions of the Trooper Eric Workman Foundation, as should all anglers of West Virginia,” Preston said.
The Trooper Eric Workman Foundation (eworkman.org) was established to honor West Virginia State Trooper Workman and Cpl. Marshall Bailey, who tragically were lost in the line of duty in 2012. Trooper Workman was an avid and accomplished angler and the Foundation works to support fishing and fisheries management work in the state. The Foundation also promotes drug-free awareness and supports local educational scholarships.