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SPOKANE – Beginning Sept. 14, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians will conduct a four-week setline survey for juvenile white sturgeon in the upper portion of Lake Roosevelt. The survey will run in two 2-week blocks, then repeat.
Biologists conduct juvenile (ages 0–4) sturgeon monitoring in this portion of Lake Roosevelt each fall to assess survival and growth of young fish in the population. The survey will overlap with the recreational sturgeon fishing season.
“Because of the overlap with the annual sturgeon season, we encourage anglers to take a quick look at the schedule so they will know where work will be happening,” said Chris Donley, WDFW Eastern Region fish program manager. “This can help avoid interruptions when planning fishing trips.”
The survey will move upstream from Rickey Point to the Little Dalles on the following schedule:
Week of Sept. 14
- Mon-Tue: Rickey Point to Colville River
- Tue-Wed: Colville River to Highway 395 bridge
- Wed-Fri: Singers Bay to Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek
Week of Sept. 21
- Mon-Tue: Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek to Marcus Island
- Tue-Wed: Marcus Island to Evans
- Wed-Thu: Evans to North Gorge
- Thu-Fri: North Gorge to Little Dalles
Week of Sept. 28
- Mon-Tue: Rickey Point to Colville River
- Tue-Wed: Colville River to Highway 395 bridge
- Wed-Fri: Singers Bay to Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek
Week of Oct. 5
- Mon-Tue: Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek to Marcus Island
- Tue-Wed: Marcus Island to Evans
- Wed-Thu: Evans to North Gorge
- Thu-Fri: North Gorge to Little Dalles
Anglers should avoid setline buoys to prevent disturbing sampling gear. Setlines used in the survey are 600 feet long and marked with buoys at each end. Two research boats will each deploy ten setlines per day. Setlines will remain in the water overnight and be retrieved by survey crews the following day. Setlines will only be fished on weekdays.
Survey crews will make efforts to be considerate of other boaters and anglers (e.g., minimizing their boat wake when near other boats). The work will not have any impact on boat launches or shoreline access.
Survey crews will use small hook sizes to target younger fish in this sample rather than harvestable-sized sturgeon. The survey should have minimal impact on recreational angling success. In addition, the setline gear is exclusive to sturgeon and does not result in bycatch of other fish species.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.
Sponsors:
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Reclamation
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Ferry County
Lincoln County
National Park Service
Spokane Tribe of Indians
Stevens County
Teck American Inc.
Upper Columbia United Tribes
Washington Dept of Fish & Wildlife