ANCIE Fish-Friendly Fishing (NAPSA)—If you like to fish— or think you would—yow’re not alone. According to experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, over 34 million people go fishing a year. They fish an average of 16 days each and spend an average $1,046. About 28.4 million anglers prefer freshwater fishing, while 9.1 million like saltwater fishing. Here are a few tips that can help you get an angle on angling: eAfter putting a bait on your line, grab the bait and give the line a nice pull just to be sure the knot doesn’t fall apart when you get a fish on. Sensitivity is key to catching fish. You should be able to feel your bait and feel a strike. It can help to use a relaxed grip so you can feel the vibrations from the moving fish. Just don’t be so relaxed you lose the rod and reel to the fish. Wet your hands before handling the fish so when you take the hook out, your hands don’t damage the protective coating on the fish’s skin. More help for America’s recreational and professional fisherpersons is coming from a surprising source: fish-friendly hydroelectric powerturbines. A major hydropower generation corporation, Voith Siemens, York, Pa., believes turbines—big turbines, making hydroelectric turbines saferforfish. in particular—do not have to be a problem for fish. The company studied various hydroelectric plants and discovered two waysto help fish: 1. When the hydroelectric plants are installed in steep walled river valleys, the fish need turbines that keep up the oxygen levels in the water. So engineers have removedtheoil from what are called Kaplan hubs and replaced it with water. Oil is still used as the workingfluid for blade motion, but not for lubrication. 2.When the turbines are near salmon runs, the fish have to be protected from the blades. Fortunately, the company’s engineers have devised ways to do both. And that’s nofish story. For more information see www.voithsiemens.com.
