About 1,000 walleyes die

[Lee Borgersen]

   Minnesota DNR:

About 1,000 walleyes die during Little Cut Foot Sioux egg take

  ..
May 28, 2018     


  .....
Deer River, Minn. — It turns out an estimated 1,000 walleyes died during DNR’s Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake walleye egg take earlier this month.

  ...
Problems with the egg take, which ensued after winds shifted and pushed a pocket of low-oxygenated water into the narrows where DNR crews set trap nets, were mentioned in last week’s story on the statewide walleye egg-take effort.

A concerned reader dialed the Outdoor News late last week regarding what he witnessed at the site, suggesting the issue was far bigger than reported.

Chris Kavanaugh, DNR’s northeast region fisheries manager, called the fish kill “substantial, but putting it in perspective of the number of fishing coming through, we don’t expect any short-term or long-term effects.”

About 35,000 walleyes come through the trapping site, conservatively, part of a fishery that sees an annual harvest of about 62,000 walleyes, he said.

Kavanaugh said the circumstances that caused the kill were unfortunate, with that pocket of low-dissolved oxygen water moving through the trap, where a high concentration of walleyes were trapped.

“It was exacerbated by the fact that the fish were confined,” Kavanaugh said.

It is something that fisheries crews have faced before, Kavanaugh said, mentioning the last time it happened was in 1996, an event that caused DNR to set up protocols to prevent such future fish kills.

“We wait for the ice to go out, and then wait three days to check oxygen levels,” he said. “We have the site staffed 24-7 to watch oxygen levels. All of those protocols were followed this year. It was once we started working the fish that we noticed the mortality occurring.”

The protocols will be reviewed again this year, Kavanaugh said.

“Once the dust settles, we will re-evaluate,” he said. “Are there things we should institute to avoid this from happening in the future? What can we do to better minimize risk?”

Kavanaugh responded to the notion, held by some, that DNR shouldn’t risk the resource.

  ....
“People ask why we even put the fish in jeopardy like that,” he said. “That spot is efficient. We can get a lot of eggs quickly, which allows us to provide opportunity around the state. Nobody likes to see the loss of fish. But it is a risk we take. We will thoroughly evaluate the operations and if we can take some steps to avoid this is in the future, we certainly will.”

Kavanaugh also noted that a percentage of the fry produced at the hatchery are returned back to the site every spring.

He responded to the rumor that DNR actually set the nets on a Tuesday and didn’t return to monitor the nets until Friday.

“That is false,” he said.  “We were there building the net structure, but the net wasn’t set until Thursday. As mentioned, from then on, the nets are monitored around the clock.”

[LPS]

Hey crap happens.  I hope this doesn't mean we need more laws...

[Rebel SS]

If humans would keep their nose outta things, nature would sort things out in the long run.

[delcecchi]

If humans would keep their nose outta things, nature would sort things out in the long run.

We just might not be happy with the result....

[Rebel SS]

Well, I'd say we aren't happy with the present result, either.

[glenn57]

                                     


                                                             

[Lee Borgersen]

                                     


                                                             

Hey NO! now

[glenn57]

                                             

[Dotch]

Hey I know! Let's make stickers!