Sturgeon surveys planned for Lake Roosevelt
Fisheries officials are planning surveys in the upper portion of Lake Roosevelt in the coming weeks to check on the waterbody’s young white sturgeon.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians will conduct a two-week setline survey on the lake that stretches from Grand Coulee Dam north to the Canadian border.
Surveys will start at Rickey Point on Sept. 29 and move upstream to the Little Dalles, according to a WDFW news release.
Sturgeon are native to the lake but the population struggled for years, prompting state fisheries officials to close fishing for them. State and tribal stocking efforts brought the population back from the brink and allowed fishing to reopen starting in 2017.
Biologists do the surveys each fall to monitor sturgeon growth and survival rates for sturgeon ages zero to four 4 years old.
Four boats will deploy 10 setlines each, according to the news release. The lines are 600 feet long and marked with buoys at each end.
The surveys overlap with the lake’s annual white sturgeon fishing season, which opened Tuesday. Officials are asking anglers to stay away from setline buoys.
Smaller hooks will be used so the lines will target smaller fish, and officials say the surveys will have little impact on recreational fishing success. They also say the gear used is exclusive to sturgeon and doesn’t catch other species. The setlines will only be used on weekdays.
The crews’ survey schedule is as follows:
Week of Sept. 29
- Monday and Tuesday: Rickey Point to Colville River
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Colville River to Highway 395 bridge
- Wednesday through Friday: Singers Bay to Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek
Week of Oct. 6
- Monday and Tuesday: Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek to Marcus Island
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Marcus Island to Evans
- Wednesday and Thursday: Evans to North Gorge
- Thursday and Friday: North Gorge to Little Dalles