Anglers may be surveyed at three Omaha-area lakes in 2022

For anglers, spring means one thing: fishing. For Nebraska Game and Parks, it means it’s time to survey anglers for information that assists in statewide fisheries management decisions.

Surveys will be conducted from April through October at three Omaha-area lakes: Prairie View, Lawrence Youngman and Zorinsky.

Clerks will interview anglers about a single day’s fishing effort, seeking details on what the angler caught, released and how much time they fished. They will interview anglers in-person at the lakes during daytime hours.

The data collected will be used to compile information about how quickly fish are caught, how many fish are caught and harvested, and angler demographics and behavior patterns, all of which informs Game and Parks fisheries management decisions.

“If you happen to be approached by a clerk this year, please take a few minutes to let them know about your fishing,” said Keith Hurley, fish and wildlife specialist for Game and Parks. “Your few minutes will go a long way in making your fishing even better down the road.”

This project aims to identify how anglers influence fish communities in the surveyed lakes and how these fish communities respond to angling.

The surveys will be conducted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers through a partnership between the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in the School of Natural Resources.