The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a series of public meetings in early May to discuss plans to treat several water bodies in northeast Oregon to remove unwanted fish and improve trout fisheries. The agency plans to treat eight lakes and ponds in Baker, Union, Umatilla and Wallowa counties.
The department will meet in Pendleton at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18 at the Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate.
At meetings, ODFW staff will describe plans to use rotenone, a plant-based fish toxicant, to remove unwanted fish species from Balm Creek Reservoir (Baker County), Kinney Lake (Wallowa County), Lugar and Boundary ponds (Union County), and Keyhole, Granite Meadows, Goldfish, and Yellowjacket ponds (Umatilla County). The goal is to remove illegally introduced brown bullhead catfish, largemouth bass, black crappie and/or goldfish. The water bodies will be treated this fall, when water levels are at their lowest.
According to Kyle Bratcher, assistant fish biologist in Enterprise, these fish have overpopulated the water bodies and compete with rainbow trout reducing recreational fishing opportunities.
More important, Bratcher added, these fish can become a source population for other illegal introductions.
“It’s not just about improving the treated fishery; it’s also about protecting nearby fisheries,” he said.
ODFW has successfully treated several other water bodies throughout the state in recent years including Diamond, Mann and South Twin lakes, and a number of small ponds. These fisheries have been greatly improved by removing many of the same species targeted in the Northeast Oregon projects, Bratcher said.
“We have demonstrated that rotenone projects can improve trout fishing and increase angler satisfaction in these fisheries,” he added.
Rotenone is often used to remove undesirable fish species because it is an affordable and effective method with little threat of long-term environmental damage. Rotenone has been approved as a fish toxicant by the Environmental Protection Agency. At the concentrations used to kill fish, rotenone is not toxic to humans, other mammals or birds. It breaks down completely in the environment and will not be detectable within weeks of treatment.
