Local News

Public meetings scheduled July 12-20 on proposed treatments for eastside lakes

By NCBI
Jul 05, 2011

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will host public meetings July 12 to 20 to discuss proposed treatments to improve trout broodstock production and trout fishing in four eastern Washington waters.

WDFW fish biologists propose using rotenone to remove rainbow trout from Kings Lake in Pend Oreille County where the fish are hybridizing with westslope cutthroat trout.

The treatment is needed to maintain the genetic integrity of Kings Lake cutthroat trout, which are the source of hatchery production for fish stocked throughout the eastern region, said WDFW District Fish Biologist Bill Baker. After treatment, Kings Lake would be re-stocked with cutthroat but-- as a broodstock source--the lake will remain closed to fishing, Baker said.

In Okanogan County, rotenone treatment is proposed for Alta and Fish lakes and Schallow Pond to remove bass, bullheads and goldfish that compete with rainbow trout, according to WDFW District Fish Biologist Bob Jateff. After treatment, all three waters would be re-stocked with rainbow trout.

Rotenone is a naturally-occurring substance derived from the roots of tropical plants. It has been used in lake and stream rehabilitation for more than 60 years by WDFW and other fish and wildlife agencies nationwide. Rotenone is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a fish pesticide, and is regulated in Washington through the state departments of Ecology and Agriculture.

Public meetings to discuss the rehabilitation proposals are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. on:

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