Annual Report 2023

Bringing Elk Back to Virginia

From the initial translocation of 75 elk during 2012–2014, DWR now estimates 250+ elk reside in Southwest Virginia, with the majority of their habitat on reclaimed mining lands. DWR Wildlife Division staff have radio-collared 39 elk to monitor changes in the population and provide valuable data to inform management actions (e.g., public access for viewing and hunting, hunting impacts on the herd and herd movement, highway mitigation, etc.). Ongoing habitat work for the elk involves DWR staff and supportive volunteers and partners.

The elk herd offers a variety of recreational opportunities. Elk viewers from across the country have participated in guided tours, utilized purpose-built viewing platforms, and tuned into the online elk live-stream camera. Two successful elk hunts have taken place in the Elk Management Zone, in October 2022 and 2023, representing a major milestone for the Virginia elk program. The hunt was all about providing opportunities for hunters, which is a key part of DWR’s mission. Local landowners and partner organizations such as Southwest Virginia Sportsmen and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation were integral to the preparation and effort. Applications for the 2022 hunt generated $513,000 in revenue and one of the six elk tags was distributed to a partnering land conservation organization to raffle off, with the more than $90,000 in proceeds to benefit wildlife conservation efforts in the Elk Management Zone.

The restoration of the elk herd and the resulting recreational opportunities it offers has helped create a tourism industry in the Buchanan County area, including the annual Elk Fest.

Creation of Coastal Forest WMA

DWR’s purchase of land on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and creation of the Coastal Forest Wildlife Management Area marks one of the most significant conservation efforts it has ever undertaken there. When completed, this initiative will greatly improve habitat for wildlife, provide highly desirable public access on more than 8,600 acres, and support coastal resiliency. More than 60 priority at-risk wildlife species will benefit from this work, along with hundreds of other species of wildlife and plants found on these parcels. The addition will not only create a conservation corridor through Accomack County into Northampton County to provide habitat for wildlife now and into the future, but also will create extensive opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation, such as wildlife viewing and hunting.

Historic Freshwater Mussel Restoration Efforts

DWR and partners successfully propagated and stocked multiple species, some endangered and threatened, of freshwater mussel species into Virginia rivers. Work at DWR’s Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Marion produced 87,689 mussels of 12 different species, including the critically endangered Appalachian monkeyface and rough pigtoe. This was the first time both species had been grown and stocked anywhere in the world. The AWCC stocked 8,212 mussels of 22 species into western Virginia waters. The Virginia Fisheries and Aquatic Wildlife Center (VFAWC) in Charles City propagated almost 500,000 freshwater mussels of nine different species, seven of which were Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The VFAWC released more than 12,000 mussels in FY23, including 2,000 James spinymussel, a federally and state-endangered species that had not been found in the James River since the 1960s. Both facilities conduct ongoing research and population monitoring projects as well.

Renovated Front Royal Fish Hatchery

Extensive renovations to the Front Royal Fish Cultural Station were completed in 2023, equipping the facility with state-of-the-art equipment and resources to maximize the production and stocking capability of both warm and cold-water fish such as smallmouth bass, muskellunge, trout, catfish, and walleye into the South and Shenandoah river watersheds. Improvements included a new hatchery building with modern technology, a sophisticated UV filtering system for the water intake from Passage Creek, and four ponds lined with rubber.

Fish Stocking

DWR’s five coldwater fish production facilities stocked nearly 1 million brook, rainbow, brown, and tiger trout between fall 2022 and spring 2023, of which 800,000 were catchable size. These trout are stocked into 200 different locations and benefit approximately 60,000 trout anglers. DWR’s four warmwater fish production facilities stocked 3.5 million fish.

• Rainbow trout 524,425
• Brown trout 100,991
• Brook trout 147,114
• Tiger trout 17,627
• Walleye and saugeye 1.8 million
• Striped bass 1.15 million
• Black crappie 300,000
• Hybrid striped bass 155,000
• F1 largemouth bass 100,000
• Channel catfish 90,000
• Muskellunge 2,000

Robust Wild Turkey Population

The 2023 spring turkey season resulted in a harvest of 24,447 turkeys, the highest spring turkey harvest ever recorded in Virginia. Although many states within the region are reporting declining spring turkey harvests and populations, Virginia seems to be a bright spot regionally. Four of the top five turkey harvests have occurred since 2020, indicating that populations appear to be robust.