JESSE LEE VARNADO
FWP AT WORK
MONITORING THE RECENT HATCH WHAT I’M DOING HERE is pulling in a seining net at Nelson Reservoir last summer. We set these out in shallow water in a big U shape, then walk them in, capturing mostly young-of-the-year fish hatched earlier in the spring. Then we sit down on shore and sort through the catch, counting the number of each species and measuring each fish to monitor growth for that year. This helps us gauge the reproductive success of the year’s game fish as well as perch, minnows, crappie, and other forage species. We use the information to understand what might happen in the fu-
CODY NAGEL
ture as these fish grow and mature. For instance, high numbers of forage fish provide plenty of food that may increase the growth and condition of game species. Poor reproductive success for forage species means less food for predators, leading to decreased growth and condition. But it can also increase angler catch rates, because the game fish are hungry and easier to catch. Shoreline seining also helps us monitor the natural reproduction of walleye and the success of any fingerling walleye stocking we might have done.
MONTANA OUTDOORS
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