It appeared that Fish and Game was placing nets in Payette Lake this spring. Are the Lake trout being targeted for removal? What is the long term management plan for them in Payette Lake?
Answer:
The nets placed in Payette Lake were to allow us to 1) assess the body condition of lake trout in Payette Lake and 2) to make a population estimate of the lake trout in Payette Lake.
We have a known number of tagged lake trout in the waterbody from previous trapping efforts. We can then use the ratio of tagged versus untagged fish captured to generate a rough estimate of the overall lake trout population. We do have a minor correction factor we apply to off-set natural mortality and potential angler harvest - for fish over 29" in length.
Answered on:
Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 1:54 PM MDT