Sheep River Mountain Whitefish Angling Survey

[Guest Sundancefisher]

I have been arguing for improved understanding of past and current mountain whitefish populations as I have in my lifetime seen dramatic declines in all populations I have fished. Historical and anectodyl information also suggests the same thing. To date many people high up in F&W saw mountain whitefish as garbage fish to be removed. I even saw biologists on the Crow and Oldman killing whitefish and treating trout gingerly with love. Well many of the predators need mountain whitefish young to feed on. Mountain whitefish have huge value and stocks like in the upper Elbow in my opinion are begin decimated with bait fishing and harvest.

 

Hopefully this study is the start of a plan to bring their numbers back up before the crash is all to evident just like with cutts, bulls, pike, walleye, goldeye, sturgeon, trophy perch etc...

 

Just my two cents...

 

Sun

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Anglers:

 

TUC is looking for volunteers to help on a mountain whitefish study to identify critical spawning habitats through a survey along the Sheep River. Trout Unlimited Canada is partnering with Golder Associates and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development on this project. Staff will be snorkelling 93 km of the Sheep River approximately the first week of October. To determine when spawning occurs, anglers are being asked to collect mountain whitefish prior to and after the spawning survey and to check the state of maturity of the adult mountain whitefish they catch. This work is planned to be undertaken early October.

 

This information will then be compiled and submitted to Trout Unlimited Canada and its partners to help guide future management decisions.

 

Anglers will be provided with locations where congregations of mountain whitefish are known to occur or have been observed during the snorkel survey. Please feel free to head out angling any time before, during or after the snorkelling effort. Anglers are being asked to fill out the attached data sheet with information regarding angling location, angling time, numbers of fish captured and state of maturity of adult mountain whitefish captured. The data sheet includes definitions required to fill out the sheet accurately.

 

Once a data sheet is completed, we would ask that the sheet be e-mailed (bmeagher@tucanada.org), faxed (403-221-8368) or dropped off the TUC office (160-6712 Fisher St. SE. Calgary AB. T2H 2A7)

 

For more information please feel free to contact Ryan or Brian! Thanks for your continued support!

 

Ryan Popowich (M.Sc.)

Fisheries Biologist

Golder Associates Ltd.

Work 1 780 930 2861

Fax 1 780 483 1574

Ryan_Popowich@golder.com

 

 

Brian Meagher P.Bio.

Provincial Biologist

Trout Unlimited Canada

Suite 160, 6712 Fisher St. S.E.

Calgary, AB. T2H 2A7

w-(403)-209-5185

c-(403)-875-3264

f-(403)-221-8368

bmeagher@tucanada.org