Fish for Wildlife:
The hatchery periodically provides fish for wildlife and rehabilitation efforts. The local game warden and vet office enthusiastically support some of the rehab projects and recently nursed an eagle back to health. The relationship between these parties continues to grow over time as educational events, volunteer interests, and community service efforts overlap.
Eagle cam:
There are a number of active eagle cameras around the country. Dale Hollow Lake has one of them with a lot of regular viewing visitors watching the growing eaglets. Recently, one of the parents brought home a fish with a hook and fishing line attached. Losing a hook is a part of fishing, but it's always a worthwhile reminder that discarded fishing gear can be a hazard to wildlife.
There is a strict disclaimer on the eagle cam that there is a no interference policy with whatever happens in the eagle nest and viewers should beware. Viewers watched with worry for days/weeks as the loose fishing line got tangled around one of the young eagles and slowly drained him of stamina from trying to get loose. The hatchery was contacted by quite a few of the eagle watchers and staff reached out to inquire about the project with a few agencies before learning that oversight of the eagle's nest is associated with the US Corps of Engineers working with the different conservation and monitoring groups. The agency has some pretty strict rules about non-interference associated with the scope of the eagle cam project that typically only allows for a single visit once a year for cam maintenance.
Concerned viewers helped provide a supporting voice to the consideration that a fishing line is more a man made problem than just nature taking its course and the combination of the eagle cam associated groups met, debated, and chose to address the life-threatening situation. The voices of the intelligent, educated, invested viewers really made a big difference in the decision making process and the fishing line is removed now. The eaglet that struggled for so long was in a considerable state of decline and likely morbidity, so he has been temporarily removed and sent for rehabilitation. The hatchery and USFWS are not directly associated with the eagle cam program, but the video stream and updates are easy to locate with a quick web search for Dale Hollow Eagle Cam.
