Public input sought about proposed lake treatment

Fish and Wildlife is set to rehabilitate three lakes in eastern Washington with rotenone. The lakes are Fish Lake in Spokane County, Little Beaver Lake in Okanogan County and Burke Lake in Grant County. The treatments are proposed for this fall to remove species ranging from brown bullhead to northern pike.

"The goal is to restore trout populations in all three lakes by removing competing species that have essentially taken over," said Bruce Bolding, a Fish and Wildlife fish biologist. "Northern pike, which were illegally stocked in Fish Lake, are especially problematic because they can decimate other fish populations and cause significant ecological damage."

The closest public meeting was scheduled for last evening in Ephrata. Although we have missed this meeting, Fish and Wildlife will also consider written comments received through Aug. 31. Comments should be addressed to Bruce Bolding, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091. Final consideration of the proposals will be made by the WDFW director in early September.

The final public meeting is scheduled for July 31 in Olympia, at the Natural Resource Building, 1111 Washington St., Room 172.

Rotenone is an organic substance derived from the roots of tropical plants, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved for use as a fish pesticide and as an insecticide in the agriculture industry. It has been used by WDFW in lake and stream rehabilitations for more than 70 years, and is commonly used by other fish and wildlife management agencies nationwide.

Dennis note: In the past, 20 some years ago, after Fish and Wildlife applied the rotenone, anyone was allowed to pick up the fish as they appeared on the surface of the water. Think of all the fish we could supply to the food banks if this practice was still allowed.

Report indicates increase in ducks this year

The report is preliminary, meaning the numbers may change. However, the news is good at this point. Perhaps we will have a banner year of duck hunting this fall. Read on.

From Ducks Unlimited:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report today on breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May and early June.

Total populations were estimated at 48.6 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area. This estimate represents a 7 percent increase over last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent above the 1955 through 2010 long-term average. This year's estimate is a record high and is only the sixth time in the survey's history that the total duck population exceeded 40 million.

Of the 10 species traditionally reported, nine were similar to or increased in number from 2011. Two species, northern pintail and American wigeon, remained below their long-term average. Mallards, northern shovelers, blue-winged teal and scaup were bright spots on this year's survey.

For the first time since 1999, mallard populations have exceeded 10 million. Northern shovelers and bluewings again reached record highs, 5.0 and 9.2 million, respectively. Scaup numbers showed improvement and are above five million for the first time since 1991, but still remain below the North American Waterfowl Management Plan population goal. Only three species, northern pintail, American wigeon and scaup, remain below their goals.