Atmos Energy Artificial Fish Habitat Program

About the Program
Atmos Energy Corporation provides natural gas to customers in the Kentucky communities of Owensboro, Bowling Green, Paducah, Hopkinsville and Shelbyville. They recently implementing a project to improve, enhance and replace fish habitat in area lakes to increase the number of native fish as well as biodiversity in the lake. The artificial fish structures are created from recycled/reused polyethylene pipe, provided by Atmos Energy, which in turn creates needed shelter and foraging habitat for native fish. The structures also provide stable substrates for the attachment of aquatic plants that provide the basis of the food chain in lakes.

Practices and Impacts

• Artificial fish habitat structures (trees) were constructed from discarded, unused polyethylene pipe that would have otherwise been landfilled. The project targets bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and white crappie (Pomoxis annularis).
• Since 2019, the artificial fish habitat structures have been monitored as part of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources overall fish habitat monitoring and management program.
• Electrofishing is conducted in the spring, summer and fall of each year to monitor species utilizing the structures and the numbers of fish of each species that are captured.
• The artificial habitat structure fish capture data are compared to control sites to determine the effectiveness of the structures. Each year, the team modifies the structure's design to make them more effective.
• The team has notes increases in numbers of crappies.