WRIC NOW: What is the DWR’s role in our fisheries?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Matt DiNardo was joined by Alex McCrickard — an Aquatic Education Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) — in the WRIC NOW livestreaming studio on Wednesday to talk about the role of DWR in our fisheries.

“My role at the agency as Aquatic Education Coordinator is to promote angling education and aquatic ecology education, but I oftentimes find myself with one foot in the fisheries division and one foot in the outreach division,” McCrickard said. “I’m kind of trying to bridge the gap between the science and management of our resources to the general public — with a bit of a fishing twist on things.”

In terms of what the process of education actually looks like, DiNardo applauded McCrickard at his handling of a brook trout — a common Virginia fish — while teaching would-be-fishermen how to respectfully celebrate a catch.

“Keeping the fish in the water is great, people always ask me and I always try to say ‘hey, you know, think about how long you can hold your breath underwater, hold them up for a quick picture.’ I’m all for a grip and grin. You’ve caught that fish. You’re excited about it,” McCrickard said. “Always wet your hands — fish have a protective slime coating that acts as their immune system. People don’t realize that if you grab a fish with dry hands you can take that slime coating off and make that fish more susceptible to a variety of different bacterial infections.”

Anyone who wants to know more about wildlife management, conservation, boating, hunting or fishing can visit the Virginia DWR website for more information.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to build conservationists and stewards of our natural resources in Virginia,” McCrickard said. “I view fishing or hunting or wildlife viewing — those are all kinds of tools to get us there.”

“Off the Hook with Matty D” is part of WRIC NOW’s livestreamed programming . Tune in to next week’s show on Wednesday at 8 a.m. for another discussion about fishing in Virginia. To learn about fly fishing for shad and striped bass check out last week’s episode.

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