The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) would like your input to help establish goals and objectives for managing fishing opportunities on the Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake fisheries. Since 2013, IDFG has worked with local stakeholders, mostly residents of the Priest Lake area, to identify key issues affecting both fisheries. This local group used recent and historical information to develop three long-term fisheries management alternatives.
Public meetings were held over the summer to gauge public support for each alternative. Additionally, a survey was posted on the IDFG website that anyone can complete. To date, we have received input from over 700 people. If you have not completed the Priest Lake Survey and still would like to provide input, you have until December 10th.
Also, a random selection of IDFG fishing license holders will receive the survey by either mail or email within the next two weeks. Mail surveys will be sent to 5,000 license holders and email surveys will go out to nearly 15,000 license holders. Most surveys will go to resident anglers in the Panhandle Region, although a smaller sample of non-resident anglers from Washington will also receive surveys.
If you'd like to learn more about this process or the specific management alternatives, check out the Priest Lake Decision Guide. We recommend viewing this resource before taking the survey.
Your participation in this survey will help us understand public support for each alternative. We will use that information to decide how to manage these fisheries into the future. Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide input!