Inside Furman, March 2004

Fish or fowl?

Birds and fishing don't mix on Furman lake, experts say

Just below the scenic surface of the Furman lake are hundreds of large-mouth bass, carp and catfish. Many are big enough to be mounted on a sportsman's wall.

So why are anglers not allowed to cast a line on the lake?

Bob Miller, director of Public Safety, says it's an issue that surfaces every three to five years. Students, faculty and staff see the fish — some reported to be as much as five feet long — and are inclined to run and get their rod and reel.

But the “No Fishing” signs are there to stop them in their tracks.

Miller, who has been at Furman since 1978, says the university experimented with a fishing club in the early 1980s. Only students and employees were allowed to join the club and fish on the lake.

Within a few months, Miller says that Furman was overwhelmed with people from the community fishing in the lake. “They saw people fishing in the lake and naturally they wanted to fish, too,” he says.

A more serious concern, though, was the geese, ducks and swans. Miller says that during the fishing club's three-year existence, more than 100 lake fowl died after swallowing wayward fishing hooks or becoming entangled in lines. Many others required veterinary visits.

As the medical bills and enforcement issues became a growing concern, Miller said the university disbanded the fishing club and adopted a no-fishing policy.

“It's a simple question,” says Miller. “Do you want fish or do you want bird wildlife? You can't have both.”

As new students and employees come to Furman, Miller says the fishing issue arises every year or so. After all, fishing seems quite harmless.

Students seem split on the issue.

Senior biology major Russell Deal said he “definitely” thinks it is a good idea to permit limited fishing at Furman. Ashley Suddarth, a senior political science and communications major, says “No, because it is a pretty lake, not a fishing lake.”

Late last fall, Raymond Kuhne of Facilities Services asked the Staff Advisory Committee to look into the policy. Although the StaffAC has no regulatory authority, the group can pass along concerns and recommendations to the administration.

Kuhne's proposal called for creating a fishing club for students and employees only. Members would have to hold a state fishing license, pay an annual fee and wear an orange T-shirt while fishing to identify themselves as club members.

Grounds supervisor Greg Burris joined with Miller in opposing the formation of a club. In a letter to the StaffAC, Burris said that in 1995 the lake was stocked with 302 sterile grass carp. The carp, which cannot reproduce, control lake algae and water vegetation. If removed, Burris said, the fish would need to be replaced.

After considering the idea and hearing input from Miller and Burris, the StaffAC voted to recommend to Business Affairs that the fishing policy remain unchanged. But as long as there are fish in the lake, Miller says, the debate will continue.

And there will always be a few who try to skirt the law. Each year, he says, Public Safety officers report a handful of violations. On the first offense, the officer issues a warning. On the second offense, Miller says the officer confiscates the fishing pole if the offender is an employee; if he or she is a student, a report is filed with Student Services. Offenders from the community are cited for trespassing and banned from campus.

Miller says that Furman's no fishing policy is suspended for one day each October to coincide with the annual Facilities Services on-campus picnic.

But biology professor Dennis Haney has a bit of advice for anyone pulling a fish out of the Furman lake: Throw it back.

Due to a large amount of bird feces, the lake contains high levels of bacteria. Eating a Furman fish, he says, would be unhealthy.