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Agency Moves Forward with Electrofishing Plan

By Beacon Staff

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is moving forward with a plan to conduct a three-year study using electrofishing as a way to control and suppress lake trout in Swan Lake.

Electrofishing is already used to determine fish populations by stunning fish with electricity so researchers can study the fish but not kill them. The proposal to look at the effectiveness of using more electricity to kill fish eggs and embryos was issued in early September and FWP hopes to successfully control the nonnative trout population.

“If effective, (electrofishing) will help halt the expansion of the lake trout population in Swan Lake and, with the ongoing experimental gill net removal program, begin to cause a downward trajectory in the future growth of the lake trout population,” the environmental assessment said.

According to fisheries biologist Leo Rosenthal electrofishing is one of the most common tools used by fisheries across the country, although it has never been used to control a fish population before.

Rosenthal said non-native lake trout is a growing issue because they attack native populations.

“This is a problem not unique to Swan Lake or Montana,” he said. “What we’re trying to accomplish with this project is that these (Lake Trout) eggs don’t survive.”

According to FWP, the lake trout most likely got into Swan Lake via the Bigfork Dam fish ladder before it closed in 1993.