LandLocked film brings striped bass to SEWE

The 2012 SouthEastern Wildlife Expo will offer screenings of the new LandLocked documentary film about how striped bass became cut off from the ocean during the controversial Santee Cooper hydroelectric project. The plan was to divert the Santee River into the Cooper River in order to create the Santee Cooper lake system that could be harnassed to produce energy. The documentary shows that the power generated did flow to the Charleston Navy Base during World War II, validating its role in terms of U.S. history, but it did not serve to revitalize all of the rural areas of S.C. that were displaced by the flooding of once valuable agricultural acres. The irony of the flooding was that striped bass that had migrated up the Santee River from the Atlantic Ocean in order to spawn, became cut off from a saltwater estuary. In time, life long anglers accustomed to catching pan fish or maybe largemouth bass from inland lakes, began to feel the pull of a fish that fought like it was in saltwater. Over time, everyone became enlightened to the fact that these stripers could now live and reproduce despite the absence of saltwater! When the SCDNR became involved, they used these landlocked stripers to stock fish in 36 other states and according to the documentary, these Santee Cooper 'rockfish' have helped to make another mark in U.S. history - one that represents a sustainable fishery that helps to promote the positive legacy of angling.

Thanks to Producer Rich King for sending me an advanced copy of this film that shows how the value of our natural resources can sometimes be under appreciated - yet undeniable.

To watch a 60-second promo clip of this documentary click here, and plan on visiting the Gaillard Auditorium on Friday Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. or Saturday Feb. 18 at 10:30 a.m. for screenings of LandLocked.

Old Billboard on Lake Marion

Lots of angler success is due to the striped bass fishery

To view past entries about 2012 SEWE click here.