Tag Archives: fisheries management

Got an interesting photo from one of our “fish squeezers” on the water already this spring. . . . We do not have a large request for pike stocking in Nebraska waters this year, but we do have some.  So, that means crews venture forth as soon as the ice is out to set nets to capture spawning pike.  Only problem is, sometimes after those nets get set, it re-freezes.  That means someone has a lot of ice to chop! If …

Last week I teased you with a couple pictures of some pike our Game & Parks Commission fisheries biologists have had their hands on already this spring.  I promised to give you some more details; let me keep that promise. . . . This will be the sixth year we have been tagging northern pike at Lake Wanahoo.  Without boring you with all of the details about that work, please go back and read these previous blog posts, if you …

I blogged about a sandpit management workshop last week.  I intended that would be the only blog post about that, but within a half day after posting, I discovered there were more workshops scheduled.  So, I need to get the word out about those too: Sandpit lake management workshops scheduled in Weeping Water and Columbus LINCOLN, Neb. – Persons interested in sandpit lake management are invited to a series of free workshops this spring. The workshops are a joint effort of …

I often smart off that northern pike are called “northern” for a reason:  They are a cool-water fish who’s native range is thought to have extended only as far south as north-central Nebraska.  Many waters, especially in eastern and southern Nebraska, simply can get too warm during the summer to support northern pike. Where we do have northern pike in Nebraska, they go through their spawning rituals as soon as the ice is gone.  If we have ice longer than …

I had a question on this at the Omaha Sport Show Saturday, so I thought it might be a good idea to spread the word a little more: Sandpit lake management workshop scheduled in Grand Island LINCOLN, Neb. – Persons interested in sandpit lake management are invited to a free workshop March 2 in Grand Island. The workshop will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Hall County Extension Office, 3180 W. U.S. Highway 34. Registration by Feb. 27 is …

I have some piles of data on my messy desk right now; I am putting stuff together for the 2017 Fishing Forecast.  It should be done and available near the first of the year, just like it is every year.  I will be sure to get the word out when it is ready. . . . Until then, I know that no matter how much I say or what data I show, nothing beats some pictures!  So, to tease you …

Lord knows the recent fisheries management work at Wehrspann Reservoir in west Omaha has been THE topic of discussion this week.  I want to add this update. . . . Our field biologists that did the treatment went back today to see how things looked.  As you can imagine they discovered hundreds of thousands of dead shad.  How many?  I cannot tell you an exact number or even an estimate.  But, there are photos floating around the internet and here …

I wanted to blog about this today, waited for the news release to be published, and now am finally getting around to it after answering questions about it all day long! Gizzard shad targeted for removal from Wehrspann Lake LINCOLN – The chemical rotenone has been applied at Omaha’s Wehrspann Lake in order to remove gizzard shad. Gizzard shad are susceptible to a low dose of rotenone while fish such as largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and crappie are less …

A couple weeks ago I noted that fall is a busy time for our fisheries division field biologists (Standard Surveys).  I believe by now most of that field work has been finished, and now there will be some processing of samples and data followed by some report-writing in the coming winter months. Last week I got an e-mail from Dr. Kevin Pope at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reminding me that some of the students there got their hands fishy while …

Every season there is something going on if you are a fisheries biologist.  I would not say that there is any “down time”.  However, I would say that spring and then fall it is particularly busy.  Right now, Nebraska’s fisheries biologists are on the water sampling fish populations on a variety of waters across the state. Nebraska’s fisheries biologists conduct what we call “standard surveys”.  Those are fish population surveys that are carried out according to standardized, scientific methods in …