Introduction
During this year of mechanical suppression of Northern Pike (NP) in Box Canyon Reservoir, crews deployed 220 nets and removed 34 northern pike between March 6 and April 20, with a final catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of 0.15 NP/net-night. The Kalispel Natural Resources Department and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife collected 4 Northern Pike during the 2017 Spring Pike Index Netting (SPIN) Survey conducted May 1 through May 3. The resulting CPUE of 0.06 NP/ net-night (95% CI: ± 0.09), in sloughs and mainstem river between Riverbend and Pioneer Park Campground met the abundance target of ? 1.73 NP/net-night for these sections of the reservoir. The CPUE north of Riverbend was 0.10 NP/net-night and was below the target of ? 0.50 NP/net-night. There was no Phase 2 (post SPIN) mechanical suppression effort implemented in 2017.
In total, 17,193 NP were removed during the ongoing suppression effort in Box Canyon Reservoir which began in 2012