Tribes finish first round of gill netting

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes completed an initial phase of gill netting on Flathead Lake during the last two weeks of April, catching 5,232 lake trout.

The netting is part of a larger effort to suppress lake trout numbers for the benefit of bull trout and other native species.

Other suppression methods include random recreational angling and the Mack Days fishing events sponsored by the tribes. This spring’s Mack Days event, which concludes on Saturday, is expected to result in the removal of more than 30,000 lake trout.

An environmental analysis approved by the tribes set an annual harvest target of 90,000 to 100,000 lake trout, or about a 30 percent increase over harvest estimates for the last few years.

In addition to the 5,232 lake trout that were netted, there was a by-catch of 2,487 lake whitefish. One bull trout was inadvertently captured and immediately released.

The netting was conducted within the constraints of a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, limiting the “incidental take” or capture of bull trout.

Wade Fredenberg, the service’s bull trout recovery coordinator, reviewed the netting effort and monitored it for compliance with the permit.

“The tribes did what they were permitted to do under ESA [Endangered Species Act], and because they followed the best available science, the results were exactly what we expected — high lake trout catch with virtually no bull trout by-catch,” Fredenberg said. “As a result, we continue to give our full support to this adaptive effort to incrementally reduce lake trout numbers.”

There will be a fall Mack Days event and more netting if necessary to achieve the target of 90,000 to 100,000 lake trout.

Tribal officials emphasize that suppression efforts are being carried out under a flexible management implementation plan, subject to annual reviews and course corrections. An analysis of this year’s suppression results will be conducted early next year, followed by a public meeting in February 2015. The harvest target and planned methods for next year’s suppression efforts will be made public in March 2015.

Gill netting for lake trout suppression has been controversial since it was first proposed. Critics contend it will decimate Flathead Lake’s lake trout population, the main sport fishery on the lake, with economic consequences for the region. They have also raised concerns about unintended consequences that could result from a diminished lake trout population, such as unexpected changes in the lake’s food web that could result in water quality degradation.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.