A new underwater camera at the Go Fish Education Center is streaming video of some of Georgia’s most popular sport fishing species live and in high definition.
Installed in August, the Go Fish aquarium camera is transmitting from within the Piedmont Reservoir Exhibit, the largest aquarium habitat at the facility in Perry. The 15-foot-deep enclosure houses a variety of native fish species, including largemouth bass, blue catfish, crappie and bluegill. Other notable residents include an alligator snapping turtle, a 40-pound blue catfish and even albino channel catfish.
The public can tune into the live stream between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST at www.gofisheducationcenter.com/GoFishCam, as well as on the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s website (www.georgiawildlife.com/gofishcam). (Wildlife Resources is a division in the state Department of Natural Resources.) Visitors can also join discussions about the camera and other topics at the Go Fish Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GoFishEducationCenter).
Jeremy Wixson, program manager for the center, said that he hopes the camera will increase public awareness of Georgia’s fishing resources and ultimately translate into more anglers.
“We are very excited about the webcam. People can watch the fish in the aquarium, see a little of what we have to offer, then make plans to come out to the facility and see everything.
“Hopefully, the camera will also generate interest and start a conversation about what we do in Wildlife Resources’ Fisheries Management Section on behalf of anglers and conservation around the state.”
Wixson said the center is considering posting regular feeding times on the Go Fish webpage so viewers can watch via the underwater camera.
The Go Fish Education Center, adjacent to the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, works to inform the public about fisheries and other natural resources through interactive exhibits, classroom programs and public workshops.
The facility is also a fully-functioning fish hatchery and produces all of the walleye for the state of Georgia.
Funding for the camera was made possible by a grant from the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation.
Ben Stowers, executive director of the foundation, noted that as information technology progresses, so do users and their means of communication. “Our users, the many wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts in Georgia, are no different!” Stowers said.
“Helping Georgia DNR and its diverse divisions provide the public with a wide variety of ways to experience the natural world of Georgia, supplemented by great projects like the Go Fish cam at our Go Fish Education Center in Perry, is an important part of what we do.”
For more information about the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation, visit http://georgianrf.org.
HDOnTap, of Del Mar, Calif., helped with installing the camera.
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