January 2023 - 15

Fish sampling on the Snake River has changed a lot since the 1950s, but some techniques remain the same. (Photo by Mark Gocke/WGFD)
that day. By this time, the sun had long since
dropped behind the Tetons and work for the
day was at an end. The crew left with many
unanswered questions.
Game and Fish personnel kept at it, and on
the next attempt opted for no electrical currents.
A 200-foot drag net seine was stretched
across the river at the head of the pool. As the
seine was brought in, faces began to brighten.
It was loaded with more than 100 trout that
averaged about 13 inches long.
As the trout were surveyed, speculation
arose. Why hadn't the trout responded to
the electrical shocking? And, why hadn't the
net gathered in more whitefish? There wasn't
much to question regarding the suckers. They
stayed low and deep.
There are a wide variety of factors that
could have been at play. Perhaps the area
workers were sampling was not ideal for trout,
or perhaps the electrical outputs were not at
a level to stun trout. We may never know
exactly what affected their sampling efforts.
It has been nearly 70 years since Game
and Fish first attempted to sample the Snake.
In some ways it has remained the same, but
there have been significant advances.
" Fish sampling on the Snake has changed
quite a bit since this article was published, "
said Clark Johnson, Game and Fish fisheries
biologist in the Jackson Region. " But there
are some good similarities. We still build a lot
of electrofishing equipment on our own and
use AC generators. "
Johnson said crews still utilize electrofishing
methods when sampling the Snake. The
equipment is still powered by a generator, but
instead of boats the generators are affixed to
rafts. The rafts allow for better movement in
hard-to-reach places along large bodies of
water. Today, crews sample anywhere from
three to seven miles of river at a time throughout
the day with two electrofishing rafts.
And thanks to technological advances
and research, fisheries biologists can adjust
their electrical output to target specific fish
species. The ability to fine-tune their equipment
allows them to sample accurately and
increase fish survival.
Today, Game and Fish fisheries biologists
have a better and more accurate understanding
of the fish population in the river. Johnson
said the number of cutthroat trout per
mile varies from 400 to 1,200 depending
on location.
- Breanna Ball is the statewide information specialist
for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Wyoming Wildlife | 15

January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2023

January 2023 - 1
January 2023 - 2
January 2023 - 3
January 2023 - 4
January 2023 - 5
January 2023 - 6
January 2023 - 7
January 2023 - 8
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January 2023 - 48
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