SPOKANE – Beginning Sept. 29, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians will conduct a two-week setline survey for juvenile white sturgeon in the upper portion of Lake Roosevelt. The survey will overlap with the recreational sturgeon fishing season.

The survey will move upstream from Rickey Point to the Little Dalles on the following schedule:

Week of Sept. 29

• Mon-Tue: Rickey Point to Colville River
• Tue-Wed: Colville River to Highway 395 bridge
• Wed-Fri: Singers Bay to Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek

Week of Oct. 6

• Mon-Tue: Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek to Marcus Island
• Tue-Wed: Marcus Island to Evans
• Wed-Thu: Evans to North Gorge
• Thu-Fri: North Gorge to Little Dalles

“Because this survey overlaps with sturgeon season and covers areas anglers use, we want people to know where we’ll be working,” said Chris Donley, WDFW Eastern Region fish program manager. “A quick look at the schedule can help anglers plan their trips and avoid interruptions.”

Biologists conduct juvenile (ages 0–4) sturgeon monitoring in this portion of Lake Roosevelt each fall. The survey provides fishery managers with important information about growth and survival of young fish in the population.

Anglers should avoid setline buoys to prevent disturbing sampling gear. Setlines used in the survey are 600 feet long and marked with buoys at each end. Four research boats will each deploy ten setlines per day. Setlines will remain in the water overnight and be retrieved by survey crews the following day. Setlines will only be fished on weekdays.

Survey crews will make efforts to be considerate of other boaters and anglers (e.g., minimizing their boat wake when near other boats). The work will not have any impact on boat launches or shoreline access.

Survey crews will use small hook sizes to target younger fish in this sample rather than harvestable-sized sturgeon. The survey should have minimal impact on recreational angling success. In addition, the setline gear is exclusive to sturgeon and does not result in bycatch of other fish species.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.