Spike Gouge

Responsible for Production Duties for the Culture of Cold-water Fish Species at Armstrong State Fish Hatchery.
Duties include:
-Assisting Hatchery Superintendent in Administrative/Personnel Duties and Fish Production.
-Apply fish culture science and natural resource principles to rear trout for the NCWRC-PMTW.
-Data Entry: Daily Hatchery Records, Entering Stocking Data into PAWS Wildlife System

-Administrative: Handle to bulk of scheduling of Stocking Runs. Complete the Monthly/Night Duty
Staffing schedules for our facility.
-Water system maintenance: Intake cleaning/maintenance, Recirculating pump systems
operation/maintenance performed daily using sound judgement to determine fish and staff safety
needs.
-Night duty operations: Water system manipulation, Intake maintenance/monitoring, Dissolved Oxygen
monitoring, Emergency situation response.
-Facilities Maintenance/Equipment/Supply Ordering/Safety Equipment Ordering and Compliance with
agency safety standards and state and federal environmental regulations and policies.
-Maintain Production Data/Water Quality/Feed/Temperature Data/Truck Maintenance Logs
-Transport and Stocking of NCWRC Public Mountain Trout Waters with Brook, Rainbow, and Brown
Trout species.
-Long-term rearing/daily culture operations: Feeding fish, cleaning raceways, mortality
removal/disposal, Fish Inventories, Inter-agency
transfers/hauling.
-Spawning/Egg take procedures: Broodstock handling, Egg incubation, sorting, treatment.
-Data collection: Sampling, Dissolved Oxygen Readings, Environmental conditions, Liquid Oxygen level
monitoring.
-Facility/Grounds Maintenance: Mowing, Herbicide application, Buildings/Hatchery residence
repairs/maintenance.-Equipment repairs/maintenance: Hatchery equipment/Hauling unit
maintenance/repairs.
-Public Outreach/Relations: Act as a liaison interacting with external organizations such as anglers, city
municipalities, schedule and give hatchery tours to school groups/visitors, Fish for Fun Events, Game
land users

• Responsible for Technical Production Duties for the Culture of cold-water trout species at Armstrong State Fish Hatchery.
• Duties include:
• -Apply fish culture science and natural resource principles to rear trout for the NCWRC-PMTW.
• -Data Entry: Daily Hatchery Records, Entering Stocking Data into PAWS Wildlife System -Water system maintenance: Intake cleaning/maintenance, Recirculating pump systems operation/maintenance performed daily using sound judgement to determine fish and staff safety needs.
• -Night duty operations: Water system manipulation, Intake maintenance/monitoring, Dissolved Oxygen monitoring, Emergency situation response.
• -Facilities Maintenance/Equipment/Supply Ordering/Safety Equipment Ordering and Compliance with agency safety standards and state and federal environmental regulations and policies.
• -Transport and stocking of NCWRC Public Mountain Trout Waters with Brook, Rainbow, and Brown Trout species.
• -Long-term rearing/daily culture operations: Feeding fish, cleaning raceways, mortality removal/disposal, Fish Inventories, Inter-agency transfers/hauling.
• -Spawning/Egg take procedures: Broodstock handling, Egg incubation, sorting, treatment.
• -Data collection: Sampling, Dissolved Oxygen Readings, Environmental conditions, Liquid Oxygen level monitoring.
• -Facility/Grounds Maintenance: Mowing, Herbicide application, Buildings/Hatchery residence repairs/maintenance.-Equipment repairs/maintenance: Hatchery equipment/Hauling unit maintenance/repairs.
• -Public Outreach/Relations: Interact with anglers, city municipalities, schedule and give hatchery tours to school groups/visitors, Fish for Fun Events, Game land users. Explain our agencies production goals and stocking objectives in a clear concise manner, typically via telephone or email.

• Manage/Maintain NCWRC Game Lands around Falls Lake/Jordan Lake Work Area.
• -Use tractors and other equipment to maintain waterfowl wetland impoundments and dove fields for use by NCWRC licensed hunters.
• -Perform field evaluations and check of wetland duck impoundment areas to determine suitable for flooding and water manipulation.
• -Mow, landscape, remove litter/trash and apply herbicide around BAA/PFA Maintenance/Mowing/Kiosk
• -Mowing to create/maintain wildlife openings/food plots. Construction repairs to wetland impoundment dikes, depot Maintenance, water-line/well repair.
• -Mourning Dove/Waterfowl Trapping/Banding, equipment operating-bulldozer/backhoe/tractor.
• -Assisted Inland Fisheries staff with Aquatic Herbicide Application to Piedmont area lakes in accordance with NC EPA regulations to reduce non-native vegetation.
• -Mowing/Disking/Prepping Dove Fields
• -CWD Sample Collecting to learn about the spread of diseases to cervids.

• General Utility Worker- for Land and Water Division of the NCWRC
• -Inspect/maintenance/litter pick-up of boating access areas, Wildland Fire Training, clearing/maintaining fire roads/lines, prescribed burning to create wildlife habitat/vegetation control on WRC Game Lands, putting in hand fire breaks, fire mop-up, operating fire pumper truck/UTV pumper, chainsaw operating-daylighting/enlarging wildlife openings for natural resource conservation and enlarging fields, exposed to D5 Caterpillar Dozer controls, working with tractor/moving equipment to maintain game land roads, -Assisted with Delayed Harvest Trout Stockings of PMTW.
• -Assist with construction projects on NCWRC games lands that meet environmental compliance.
• -Inspect/maintain/replace buoy markers on reservoirs, post Public Mountain Trout Water stream designation signs, repaired decking/bolts on Public Fish Area stationary pier.
• -Assist in inter agency project in implementing clipped/coded wire tagged trout for NCSU/NCWRC Delayed Harvest Trout Movement Study.
• -Mowing/weed-eating and applying herbicide for weed control around boating/fishing access areas.
• -Assisted Aquatic Wildlife Diversity staff with non-game fish sampling/backpack electro-fishing/seining, wildlife data collection and surveys of wetlands and forested areas for threatened and endangered species of mollusks, crayfish, and terrestrial animals such as Ruffed Grouse.

• Assist District 7 Fisheries Staff and Piedmont Area Habitat Coordinator.
• Duties Include:
• -Worked in NCWRC District 7 as a technician under Fisheries Biologist and Piedmont Habitat Enhancement group.
• -Fisheries and natural resource management in performing fisheries field surveys for trout, bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, crappie, catfish, and other fish species in Wilkes, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Surry, Stokes, Catawba, Alexander, and Yadkin Counties. Performed boat and backpack electrofishing, gill net, trap net, and long-term monitoring surveys for gamefish and threatened species. Harvest samples of reservoir fish for interagency work to determine mercury toxicity levels in species to comply with safe food consumption regulations. Harvest specific reservoir species and district staff to workup for aging reports to determine fish abundance and fecundity. Liaison for the district staff at Fish for Fun events with multiple agencies to provide information to angling groups, Trout Unlimited, Boys Scouts of America, school groups and other user groups. Assist with delineating long-term monitoring transects of mountain trout streams to survey for threatened Southern Appalachian Brook Trout species, specifically in NC State Park system streams. Assisted District Biologists with improving and construction of PFA/BAAs within D7 counties.
• -Assisted Piedmont Habitat Enhancement Coordinator with work in District 7 to enhance and improve streams and wetland areas for natural resource conservation and improve habitat for game and threatened and endangered species. Exposed to ArcGIS to help with NCWRC Game Land Habitat Assessment. Assist enhancement staff in District 9 streams and watersheds to determine habitat impacts to streams, watersheds and wetland areas due to heavy game land use and transportation traffic. Performed habitat assessment field surveys and GPS logging of sites with heavy sediment impacts. Assisted WRC Engineers with total station surveys for wetland and stream restoration projects primarily in Wilkes, Stokes, and Ashe Counties. Assisted with long term monitoring of previously enhanced streams in D7 to help improve habitat for game and non-game/threatened species. Assisted Wildlife Diversity staff with surveys for threatened and endangered species of bog turtles in Ashe County.
• -When not assisting District 7 or Piedmont Enhancement Supervisor I would assist staff at Table Rock State Fish Hatchery in Morganton, NC.
• -Hatchery maintenance, grounds maintenance culture of warm-water, cold-water, cool-water fish species, collection of brood fish, spawning induction, fish sedation, egg collection, Community Fishing Program catfish and trout stocking, catfish disease treatment, and stocking of muskellunge.transfers/hauling.-Spawning/Egg take procedures: Broodstock handling, Egg incubation, sorting, treatment. -Data collection: Sampling, Dissolved Oxygen Readings, Environmental conditions, Liquid Oxygen level monitoring.-Data Entry: Daily Hatchery Records, Entering Stocking Data into PAWS Wildlife System -Administrative: Handle to bulk of Scheduling of Stocking Runs. Complete the Monthly/Night Duty Staffing schedules for our facility.-Water system maintenance: Intake cleaning/maintenance, Recirculating pump systems operation/maintenance.-Night duty operations: Water system manipulation, Intake maintenance/monitoring, Dissolved Oxygen monitoring, Emergency situation response.-Facility/Grounds Maintenance: Mowing, Herbicide application, Buildings/Hatchery residence repairs/maintenance.-Equipment repairs/maintenance: Hatchery equipment/Hauling unit maintenance/repairs. -Public Outreach/Relations: Interact with anglers, Hatchery tour groups/visitors, Fish for Fun Events, Game land users. Explain our agencies production goals and stocking objectives in a clear concise manner, typically via telephone or email.

• Assist customers with hunting, fishing, and firearms purchases. Explain hunting/fishing regulations and proper use of outdoor items that they purchase. Department stocking, product placement, interacting with the public and providing customer service.

• Conduct angling survey of boat and bank anglers on Randleman Regional Reservoir to determine angling efforts, catch, and species harvested. Public relations, surveying anglers, and data entry.

• -Evaluating fish abundances in proximity to fish attractors using hydroacoustic sampling (DIDSON sonar) methods in piedmont
• -Enter data to help district biological staff complete technical reports for sound fisheries management. reservoirs, data analysis and entry.
• -Assisted Table Rock Fish Hatchery staff with Harvesting and spawning of muskellunge, egg removal, fish sedation and spawning induction, culture of coolwater and coldwater species, assisted in Hatchery Supported/Delayed Harvest trout stocking program of PMTW.

• Part time customer service associate responsible for department maintenance, stocking responsibilities, assisting customers with building materials purchases and assisting customers with in person and special-order purchases.