Big congratulations to the NWA Fish Habitat Alliance for their feature in FishSens Magazine, highlighting their great work in Beaver, Bull Shoals, and Norfork Lakes! We are proud to call you Friends of Reservoirs and grateful for the community you've built in northwest Arkansas!

Along the White River in Arkansas are three of the most popular fishing lakes in the state, with over 5 million visitors a year, as reported by Friends of Reservoirs.

The group is called the White River Chain of Lakes and includes Beaver, Bull Shoals, and Norfork Lakes, which offer prime fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye, and largemouth bass in Northeast Arkansas.

All of these lakes are man-made reservoirs with construction dating back over half a century. Unfortunately, due to their age, “fish habitat that was once there is now gone,” explains Jonathan Stein, District Fisheries Supervisor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC).

Though there used to be standing timber at the bottom of these reservoirs, these structures have eroded. Additionally, fluctuations in water level have reduced the availability of aquatic vegetation, limiting a crucial supply of food for fish.

This loss of habitat can negatively impact fish populations, so in 2022, the AGFC set out to restore all of the lakes in the White River Chain.

Read the full article at FishSens Magazine: https://www.fishsens.com/fish-habitat-restoration-in-the-white-river-chain-of-lakes/