Rainbows being given the boot

Prized non-native trout are getting the ouster from the Snake’s South Fork, and fishery administrators are asking for acceptance.

Section:Gallery

Wed., May 15, 2019

Patrick Kennedy releases a cutthroat trout accidentally scooped up with a group of rainbows while electrofishing Thursday on the South Fork of the Snake River. The aim of the project is to reduce rainbow trout numbers in the South Fork in an effort to help increase the native cutthroat population.

Bradly J. Boner News&Guide
Idaho Department of Fish and Game personnel and volunteers scoop up rainbow trout on the South Fork of the Snake River during electrofishing operations Thursday west of Swan Valley, Idaho. The department will be catching and removing rainbow trout from the popular section of the Snake in eastern Idaho until May 23 as part of a feasibility study to see whether reducing the number of rainbow trout using electrofishing can be an effective management technique to improve cutthroat recovery.

Bradly J. Boner News&Guide
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game hoped to pluck 3,000 rainbow trout from the South Fork, and will likely reach that number this week and exceed their mark by 2,000 to 3,000 fish by the time the operation ends May 23.

Bradly J. Boner News&Guide
Kayden Estep, a fisheries technician for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, releases rainbow trout into the fishing pond south of Victor on Thursday. This impressive specimin is the same one cradled by Patrick Kennedy in the photograph on the front page.

Bradly J. Boner News&Guide
Each rainbow caught while electrofishing is checked for an implanted chip as part of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game‚Äôs ‚Äúangler incentive program,‚Äù which encourages anglers to keep rainbows caught on the South Fork by offering a cash reward in exchange for the head of the fish. Rainbows that beeped positive for the fish were tossed back into the waterway.

Bradly J. Boner News&Guide
Patrick Kennedy, regional fisheries biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, holds a large rainbow/cutthroat hybrid trout after electrofishing Thursday on the South Fork of the Snake River. The department will be catching and removing rainbow trout from the popular section of the Snake in eastern Idaho until May 23 as part of a feasibility study to see whether reducing the number of rainbow trout using electrofishing can be an effective management technique to improve cutthroat recovery.

Bradly J. Boner News&Guide