May 2015 update

Post date: May 26, 2015 10:46:35 PM

May 2015 Update

I am nearly finished with data analysis and thesis writing for the Susitna rainbow trout project. I plan to present the results of my work at my thesis defense at UAF (scheduled for June 22), and at the National Meeting of the American Fisheries Society August 16-20, 2015 in Portland Oregon (intro of extended abstract below).

I made a trip down to Willow Creek this last weekend on personal time (since my official fieldwork has come to an end) and tracked telemetry-tagged trout in lower Willow Creek. I located a good number of fish, likely skipping spawning this year as spawners should currently be in upper tributary reaches rather than below the Parks Highway. Surprisingly, even a few fish tagged in 2013 were still giving good signals--many months beyond the expected lifespan of the tag battery. It was nice to find our largest tagged fish (27 inches fork length) alive and well!

I was happy to see several state troopers check fishing licenses and establish a presence at the Willow Creek mouth this last weekend, sometimes it seems there is a lack of enforcement in Susitna tributaries.

Good luck to all who are getting out fishing this summer, and be sure to check regulations and emergency orders, even if just to refresh your memory!

-Kevin