“Landlocked” tells the story of how freshwater striped bass were spawned due to the formation of South Carolina lakes. It will air July 22 on the Documentary Channel, which is channel 197 on Dish Network and channel 267 on Direct TV.
The film chronicles the story of how the state of South Carolina changed fishing history forever. During the Great Depression the state undertook a controversial project.
Through the use of federal funds, 40 miles of dams and dikes were constructed to flood 160,000 acres from the historic, moss-hung Lowcountry of Charleston all the way inland to Columbia to create Santee Cooper.
This was done to create hydroelectric power for the surrounding rural areas. But when the locks were closed, the originally ocean dwelling fish striped bass became landlocked and unable to get back to saltwater.
After several years, fishermen and biologists realized the fish were thriving and reproducing, incredibly for the first time ever in freshwater. The striped bass is now stocked in lakes in nearly 40 states and is one of America’s greatest game fish.
This is the second time a Dark Corner Films’ project has aired on The Documentary Channel. “The Dark Corner” aired last June.
“While we are very humbled to again garner national exposure for our work, we also believe this shows the quality storytelling that Dark Corner Films can create,” said Bryan Tankersley, a principal with Dark Corner.
Landlocked’s executive producer was Rich King, who employed Dark Corner Films to create the project, which premiered at the renowned Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in February.