Thanks, Debby: Shenandoah National Park lifts weeks-long ban on fishing

The ban on fishing in the Shenandoah National Park in place since late June has been lifted, thanks to the 4 to 8 inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Debby that raced through the area last week.

The ban had been put in place on June 27 in the midst of several months of drought in the Shenandoah Valley.

A word of caution from Evan Childress, the Park’s Chief of Natural and Cultural Resources:

“Be gentle with the fish and the fragile environment they inhabit. The drought this summer created stressful conditions for them, so try to minimize the time they are out of the water before you release them,” Childress said.