Another brag for Orangeburg. Every spring over 10 million tiny striped bass, red breasts and others are shipped out from the local “fishery” (hatchery) to ponds, lakes and rivers across the state, there to restock those waters and make local fisherman happy — 10,000,000!

Five to 10 percent will survive the natural hazards and become frying pan sized. Only one percent of those hatched in nature live this long.

What’s more, this has been going on since anybody can remember. Willie Booker, manager of the Orangeburg National Fish Hatchery, says that as a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, our fishery and the other one in Cheraw began this restocking program in 1911.

Why so long ago? Because early Americans, barred from most of the kings’ and counts’ waters in their homelands, had been having a 200-year, never-before-known privilege of fishing anywhere and everywhere, and the population had fallen. Congress set up the new service about 1885.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out how Orangeburg and Cheraw (now one of six state fisheries) got the nod? Who you reckon was the politician who looked out for us? It’s really something considering that only 66 U.S. fisheries dot the U.S. today.

Actually, ours has operated so quietly for so long that everybody knows about it, but not much about it. And not only for its fantastic fish production, but for its beauty — right here in town. Over 100 school, church and other groups hold picnics on the shaded grounds every year.

The grown-ups walk, the children race along the banks trying to spot some of the natural inhabitants in the 20, (none over an acre and a half) ponds. Lots of these nurture two or three million striped bass one to two inches long. They originate, larva-sized, from the State Hatchery at St. Stevens, where a 10-pound mama can produce up to a hundred thousand eggs per pound of her body weight during the spring.

Other ponds are home to two million redbreast sunfish which are produced by adult brood stock already in the ponds. Upon reaching inch and a half size, they travel in water-filled boxes to sites on the Salkehatchie, Black and Edisto rivers, to lakes Greenwood, Murray, Marion and Moultrie. Because they are a federal resource, others ride into Georgia, North Carolina and even Louisiana.

The fishery also raises three to four million blue gill sunfish for the thousand of anglers, and for the American wood storks who live at the Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge near Brunswick, Georgia.

Short-nosed sturgeon, another fish Orangeburg propagates, are unusual in that they reproduce in fresh water then migrate to salt water until time to spawn again. Sort of a vacation house family.

No catfish at the hatchery. Seemingly hearty and good-sized, they were introduced into southern waters by the department in the 1960s. You can guess the outcome; they ate most of the baby redbreasts and, even after four decades, are still thriving. But what a sumptuous stew!

“To stay in balance, nature requires all these species and many more,” Booker says, “and we have just begun a big new program to help this.

“The first is our new, 55,000 square foot fish cultural building which will include a water system that can be chilled or heated to the right temperature for each species.

“Next will come our Education and Environmental Center to accommodate local school and college students who come out to do studies of fish, plants or water. Also we will have an exhibit of our fish in tanks, much bigger than those we’ve had many years. It should be quite an attraction to Orangeburgers and visitors.

“The third phase will be the refurbishment of all our ponds here at the Main Station and the 80-acre pond out on the Cannon Bridge Road where the public can fish. South Carolina licenses are required there, but it’s open during all the warm months.”

Asked if he still goes fishing after days at the Hatchery, Willie says, “Yes, but most of the time I just sit on the bank and look around.”

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