Annual Report 2025

Smallmouth Bass Production and Stocking Exceeds Expectations

Smallmouth bass are notoriously tricky to grow in a hatchery—the bass require perfect water and habitat requirements to feel comfortable enough to spawn. Then, staff have to carefully transfer the fry to grow-out ponds until they grow large enough to stock. Producing and stocking smallmouth bass has been a priority for DWR since many populations of the species in Virginia have been declining in numbers due to poor reproductive success, something that stocking directly addresses. So, the success that the DWR Aquatics Division and the Front Royal Fish Hatchery had in growing and stocking smallmouth in the summer of 2025 is truly remarkable.

Renovations completed in 2023 at the Front Royal Fish Hatchery were designed to prioritize the production of smallmouth bass, a species targeted by 60 percent of Virginia’s anglers. The year 2024 marked a huge success for the hatchery when staff raised just over 30,000 fingerlings from eight nests. Then, in 2025, they harvested fry from more than 60 nests! Through hard work and the integration of cutting-edge culture techniques, DWR produced and stocked 286,000 smallmouth bass, far exceeding the initial goal of 165,000, in 2025. The fish were stocked across the Commonwealth in the Shenandoah and James river systems, large impoundments such as Philpott and South Holston lakes, and small impoundments such as Lake Frederick and Lake Laura. DWR’s hatchery system now has an effective tool for enhancing the populations of this popular fish. Moving forward, this work will help ensure that Virginia continues to support quality fishing opportunities for anglers seeking smallmouth bass.

Helene Recovery

Recovery and restoration efforts to help Southwest Virginia after the historic damage wrought by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 involved many different DWR divisions. The Law Enforcement Division helped maintain public safety during and after the storm. The Wildlife Division’s Lands and Access unit cleared debris and repaired roads to restore access to public lands and waters. The Aquatics Division evaluated impacts to streams and rivers and surveyed fish populations. The Nongame and Endangered Species Program worked to construct and install dozens of artificial shelters for eastern hellbenders and reinstalled water quality sensors at 10 long-term study sites, as well as managed impacts to DWR’s Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center, where imperiled freshwater mussels are grown. The Executive Office led the response and recovery through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Virginia Department of Emergency Management (DEM) for funding reimbursements of impacts resulting from Hurricane Helene.

Deer Firearms Seasons Expanded

DWR staff proposed, and the Board of Directors approved, some of the most significant expansions of deer firearms seasons in the agency’s history. To provide additional recreational opportunities and to address deer population objectives, the general firearms deer seasons on private lands were expanded from two to four weeks in all or portions of 20 counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, the general firearms deer season was expanded from two or four weeks to seven weeks on private lands in 13 western counties. Firearms either-sex deer hunting days were increased in 29 counties across the Commonwealth.

Wildlife Action Plan Updated

DWR staff and partners evaluated the status of thousands of Virginia fish and wildlife species and the habitats that support them for the 2025 revision of the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan. The plan is a Congressionally mandated effort that agencies must complete and revise every 10 years to receive federal State Wildlife Grant funding. The plan assesses risks to the resources and the conservation actions that would address those risks. Approximately 1,900 Species of Greatest Conservation Need were defined in the 2025 Plan.

Action Planning for WMAs

A DWR summer intern assisted staff with creating an Action Plan for each of 13 Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Work Units. These plans include GIS maps of all habitat activity, an annual calendar of primary activities, and a reporting process to simplify activity reporting by staff. The plans will be updated each winter to inform planning for activities in the upcoming year to assist with workload management, budget development, and habitat/infrastructure management. This is just one of multiple impactful projects completed by DWR interns each year.

Acres with Habitat Activity Reported in 2025 Fiscal Year

Expanding Knowledge of Bog Turtle Distribution

The bog turtle is America’s smallest turtle species, and in Virginia is only known in six counties. Availability of high resolution, remotely sensed environmental data and more contemporary habitat modeling techniques have made it possible to work toward creating an updated habitat sustainability model for the bog turtle in Virginia. A robust new model of the range of this cryptic species across Southwest Virginia will help biologists have a much clearer sense of where bog turtles occur and the status of their habitats, which will help target more specific conservation actions. In 2025, visual encounter and habitat surveys at 50 sites resulted in the discovery of 12 previously unknown populations.

Sea Turtle and Marine Mammal Conservation Plans Developed

DWR staff completed a revision of the Virginia Sea Turtle Conservation Plan and developed a Virginia Marine Mammal Conservation Plan. Both plans identified key goals as to maintain a permanent stranding rescue network in Virginia; identify, assess, and mitigate risks to populations and habitats through cost-effective monitoring, research, and best practices; and promote conservation in Virginia through social marketing and information dissemination. These plans will be used to guide conservation actions in the state, particularly through the updated Wildlife Action Plan and the new Virginia Ocean Plan (led by the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program).

Wild Turkey Plan Revised

Public stakeholders and managers of turkeys in Virginia contributed to the creation of the DWR 2025–2034 Virginia Wild Turkey Plan, a revision of the original Turkey Plan that was completed in 2014. The plan describes the history of wild turkey management in Virginia, the status of turkeys and turkey management programs, and the future of turkey management in Virginia. The plan’s authors identified four goal areas to address: populations, habitat, recreation, and human-turkey conflict. They also developed specific objectives to help guide the achievement of each goal and suggest ways that the objectives might be achieved.

Big Sandy Crayfish Propagated

Since the Big Sandy crayfish was designated as federally threatened in 2016, DWR and partners have been seeking to understand what’s needed to recover and delist the species. Research helped biologists develop a predictive model for streams with appropriate habitat that could support Big Sandy crayfish. Then, they developed techniques for the propagation and release of propagated individuals to augment and reintroduce populations where habitat and water quality seem to be suitable. DWR is working with West Liberty University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on this effort, with the propagation taking place at the USFWS White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery.

Studying Waterfowl Migration

DWR biologists captured and equipped black ducks, mallards, and Atlantic Population Canada geese with solar-powered GPS/GSM transmitters. The devices allow researchers to track the annual movements of these waterfowl for multiple years, recording changes in migration movements and data about smaller-scale movements. This information gives insight into key activities such as nesting and brood-rearing. Data from these devices will provide valuable information for the long-term management and conservation of these species.

Second Breeding Bird Atlas Completed

Following up on the first Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas (1985–1989), the second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas seeks to improve understanding of where all of Virginia’s breeding bird species occur, in what numbers, and how their distribution has changed since the first Atlas. DWR worked with the Virginia Society of Ornithology and the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech to produce the second Atlas. This information will help DWR and partners more effectively target conservation planning and efforts to geographic areas where they’re most needed. Data collection by more than 1,400 volunteers took place between 2016 and 2020, and data review and analysis and content production were completed in 2020 through 2025. The project resulted in 203 species accounts, which feature maps of breeding distribution, breeding evidence and abundance, and interpretive narratives highlighting the status and conservation needs of individual species.

Researching Striped Bass Mortality

Striped bass, one of Virginia’s most popular game fish, support inland fisheries that are utilized by more than 25 percent of Virginia’s anglers on an annual basis. Many of these fisheries, particularly those on Smith Mountain Lake, support a vibrant guiding industry that hosts anglers from across the country. DWR supports these fisheries by stocking them with fish and maintaining size and creel limits. One major concern in striped bass management is mortality after release, which can result in more fish than expected being removed from the system. To address this, DWR tagged more than 100 striped bass with transmitters and more than 300 with tags to be reported by anglers. Fish were captured using the same methods that anglers would be using to better mimic the impacts of catch and release mortality. Analysis of the data indicates that summer mortality of striped bass in Smith Mountain Lake is lower than in other large reservoirs. This provides critical information for setting size and creel limits that encourage a quality fishery, maximize angler opportunity, and reduce release mortality. DWR plans to use these results to underpin an informational campaign to anglers about best practices to minimize release mortality.

Making Way for Piping Plover

DWR staff, together with The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conducted a pilot study to address the declining breeding population of the piping plover in Virginia. The breeding population has been in decline since 2016, with no clear cause identified. The pilot study removed vegetation to create wide corridors between nesting areas and backside mudflats, which expands access to foraging habitat for breeding birds. Project staff created two corridors and installed trail cameras to document corridor use. DWR technicians monitored piping plover breeding success and collected prey samples. Adult piping plovers and other nesting shorebird species were documented foraging in the corridors.

Millions of Fish Stocked

DWR’s Aquatics Division operates nine fish hatcheries that produce millions of fish each year to stock into streams, rivers, lakes, and urban waterbodies for anglers to pursue.

Tennessee Dace Found

The Tennessee dace, a state endangered fish species, lives in Abrams Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Holston River where a 75-foot waterfall creates a natural barrier to fish passage. Recently, the Mendota Trail—a hiking and biking route—was built alongside and crossing Abrams Creek. Biologists determined it was a priority to conduct a watershed-side fish survey of Abrams Creek because of the presence of rare species and potential impacts from the trail. The survey detected the first observation of Tennessee dace above the falls, a population isolated from all other Tennessee dace populations.

Invasive Species Researched

DWR Aquatics staff continue to research key invasive aquatics species such as Alabama bass, northern snakehead, and blue catfish. Annual monitoring and educational campaigns have been used to keep an eye on invasive species populations and help slow their spread. DWR staff continue to participate on working groups like the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Invasive Catfish Work Group and assist with final recommendations from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Science’s Blue Catfish Work Group. DWR’s efforts have helped inform other states on their approaches to invasive species management, specifically the education, advancement of policy and legislation pertaining to Alabama bass, and technical expertise on controlling northern snakehead.

First Bear Mange Management Plan Adopted

DWR combined existing guidance with stakeholder engagement, the latest scientific information, and experiences in other states to create the first 2025-2029 Black Bear Mange Management Plan with the goal of long-term bear population viability. The plan aims to implement science-based surveillance and management techniques, manage resilient populations of black bears affected by sarcoptic mange, identify and address critical knowledge gaps, communicate effectively with constituents, and foster citizen-science opportunities.

Harvest Numbers

In the 2025 fiscal year, Virginia hunters harvested:

• Deer: 205,759
• Turkey: 21,988
• Bear: 2,702
• Migratory Birds: 400,000
• Small Game: 400,000
• Furbearers: 50,000

Mussel Propagation and Release

DWR propagates freshwater mussels, including threatened and endangered species, at both DWR’s Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Southwest Virginia and in a cooperative effort with USFWS at the Virginia Fisheries and Aquatic Wildlife Center (VFAWC) at USFWS’ Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery in Charles City County.