11-02-2005, 05:05 AM
In order to justify the cost of the project we need to "prove" with data that fish are using them. This includes lake trout, Bonneville whitefish, cisco, Bear Lake whitefish, and Bear Lake sculpin. The first four fish can be sampled with egg traps, fry traps, and netting. The last can be sampled with diving and direct observation. There are no current plans for additional piles, but if these work out to the benefit of the native fish, then perhaps down the road there could be another project either on Bear Lake or elsewhere. Anyway, hard data will be the proof of the usefulness, so please be patient with the bouys for the foreseeable future. I talked with the grad student and they agreed to make the bouy lines as tight as possible so they don't drift around all over the place and hamper fishing.
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