Outdoors

POSTED: Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009

Eastside lakes to be rid of unwanted fishes

Thirty-six lakes and ponds plus one stream across six eastern Washington counties are on the state fish and wildlife department's 2009-10 candidate list for the eradication of undesirable fish.

The fish species non-gratia in these waters include tench, goldfish, fathead minnows and carp as well as certain runaway populations of warmwater gamefish such as pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill (also a sunfish), bullhead catfish, yellow perch and largemouth bass.

In the case of the Northeast Washington creek, elimination of a non-native trout species and their replacement with westslope cutthroat, the trout native to the region, is the objective.

Fisheries managers say the undesirable fishes mainly compete with and stifle desirable gamefish populations by taking the food from the mouths of trout or warmwater species.

In some instances, deleterious fish populations may inhibit less expensive management regimes such as the fry planting of trout instead requiring that the trout be kept in hatcheries and grown to a much larger size before release.

Named and unnamed waters involved include:

? Beda, Brookie, Dune, Harris, Sedge, Tern, Canal, Heart, June, Windmill, North Windmill, North North Windmill, Pit and North Teal lakes, all in Grant County,

? 16 unnamed ponds scattered across the state's Desert Wildlife Area complex, again in Grant County,

? Fourth of July Lake belonging to both Adams and Lincoln counties,

? Fishtrap Lake straddling the Lincoln and Spokane county line,

? Hog Canyon Lake and its associated waters and West Medical Lake in Spokane County,

? Buck Lake in Okanogan County,

? and Cee Cee Ah Creek that runs through Pend Oreille.

The piscicide to be used in these eradications is rotenone, a natural pesticide compound that is lethal to gill-breathing animals. It is manufactured and concentrated from the stalks and roots of several South American plants but the basic chemical substance is found in a variety of plants around the world.

Since its modern discovery in the late 1800s, rotenone has been widely used to quell unwanted fish populations.

But it probably has been used by South American Indians for centuries to catch fish to eat because it is far less toxic to mammals due to its slow absorption through the digestive tract.

As part of Washington's state environmental policy act process (SEPA), state fish and wildlife officials will hold four public meetings in Eastern Washington and one in Olympia in mid-July to gain public input on the proposal.

An online portal (at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/sepa/sepa.htm) on the state fish and wildlife department's website will allow comments to be registered by anyone from July 1-31.

In addition, written (snail mail hardcopy or e-mail) comments, addressed to Jim Uehara, inland fish program manager, will be accepted through Sunday, Aug. 15.

A decision will be made in late August with implementation to follow this fall and early spring under state and federal regulations for the safe use of the chemicals.

After neutralization of residual rotenone, gamefish will be reintroduced to any waters for which treatment was authorized.