Strawberry Update...FYI

[Ed Kent]

Less than a year after the implementation of the new regulations,
Strawberry and its anglers are seeing the benefits. Cutthroat numbers and average size have increased since the fall of 2002, including a 152 percent increase in the proportion of cutthroats over 20 inches.

Preliminary analyses indicate that the new regulation has met or
exceeded expectations of increasing the adult population of cutthroats by 45 percent from 2002.

In conjunction with the increases in cutthroat size and numbers, the overall incidence of predation on nongame fish by cutthroats has also increased, from 17 percent in 2002, to just over 20 percent in 2003. This increase in predation by a larger population of cutthroats led to a 34 percent decrease in the catch of chubs in the fall gillnetting from 2002 to 2003, and a 10 percent reduction in the adjusted biomass of chubs over the same period. These declines included a 158 percent decrease in the catch of one-year-old chubs that the cutthroats primarily prey upon.

A 272 percent reduction in the catch of redside shiners was also
noticed from the fall of 2002 to the fall of 2003.

The cutthroats in Strawberry will never eliminate a nongame fish like the Utah chub, and fairly large fluctuations in chub numbers are expected to continue. However, if given the chance, it appears cutthroats can have a dramatic impact on chub abundance. Increased numbers and size of cutthroats, as well as decreases in the chub population in 2003, indicate that the future still looks bright for Strawberry. Anglers should feel proud that they have done their part to help maintain the viability of this important fishery.

[jdubya]

Good news Ed. Congrats are clearly in order for all involved with the changes. Obviously it is too bad they were not enacted sooner, but at least they seem to be having an effect now.

How much vigilance will be required to keep the regs from getting softened up in the years to come???

[fish-hunter]

It's nice to see a positive impact on something the DWR has done with the help of anglers. I hope that seeing this will open some eyes to problems on other waters and hunting units.

Thanks for the report!

Fish-Hunter

[Ed Kent]

Jdubya,

I see no reason for the regulations to be changed for at least three to five years. Additionally, the Strawberry Anglers Association has taken a firm stance on the issue, and until they have a change of mind, which would be based on biological information, I don't ever see the regs. softened.....lets all hope.

[Utah DaveII]

Good news indeed!

It sounds like Roger and Alan are doing a great job up there! I think they have taken the right approach in how they involved the public in this process.

I'm extremly glad to see the chubs fluctuate and decline in the first year.

My biggest concern with the regulations is the population would be cropped of at over 22" let's hope they keep letting them go when the cutts start getting over 24."

Overall though Kudos are definately in order for Roger on the job he did with this one both from the political perspective and the biological one!!!!

[Utah DaveII]

Ed,

Did you here how the young fish were doing?

[Sumner Newman]

Again, for all your hard work and involvement on this issue. This sampling data is absolutely great news!! I could not be more thrilled or more optomistic about the future of the 'berry at this point. (The sampling data concerning number and sizes of cutts has been well confirmed by many veteran anglers' on-the-water experiences.)

As I've said earlier, I was one who just quit fishing the 'berry for a number of years. For me, the fishing just wasn't nearly as good as what I could find at a number of other waters. This year, beginning in late summer/early fall, I began again to fish the 'berry and was astounded at the numbers and sizes of cutthroats I caught. I've continued to fish there right through the fall, (latest experience was just yesterday) and have found that I've re-fallen in love with the place. Managed correctly (I guess we can all debate what that would be), Strawberry is simply an incredibly productive and, in my mind, a world-class stillwater.

My hope is that they (Roger and the DWR crew) will be able to continue to do whatever is necessary to keep good numbers of big cutts in there. So long as they do, I'll be spending a good share or maybe most of my fishing time up there.

[Juke]

Not to throw a wet blanket on this "kumbya" session, but I would be more cautious in interpreting the data. This is only one years data. And more importantly, Strawberry is low in terms of water elevation. The cubs/shinners genareally inhabit near shore littoral zones where there is alot of cover to protect them from predators. With the lower water levels much of this cover is now absent, and they become more susceptable to predation. There probably is some sort of relationship between catch rates, trout size, forage fish densities, and lake elevation. As Ed said, it will probably be cyclical fishing.

[Bowcutt2]

Very encouraging! Looks like the right move to limit harvest of the cutthroat. I have been there this fall and the fish (cutthroat) appear to be in very good condition and plentiful.
Good work!

[RAW]

Thanks for the report Ed. Just goes to show that a little pressure in the right direction for the DWR can pay off. I still don't think the DWR knew how many cutthroat were being taken out of that place by the family poacher.

[ROOSTER]

I was wondering if the new regs had anything to do with the increased size of the cuts that I have been catching up there. The last time I went up, the majority of them were 19" and above. I was suprised at this. I am also suprised though that the new regs have made an impact so quickly. That was not what I thought would happen. I appreciate the info Ed. That answers my question. Thanks for all your hard work.

[Minivan]

I hope the DWR or Don Peay doesn't try to revert back to the old regs. I can see their argument now, "Strawberry is back, let's open it up to harvest again".

[fishn]

I was on the Berry on Tuesday and noticed that the catch rate and size of the fish were better than I have ever had. The catching was so good that Jeff Brooks, Sumner, Gotfish?, Clete and several others from this site are hitting it today in efforts to reap the benefits of the new regulation on last time this year.

I only wish I would have spent more time up there a month ago. Tuesday was the first time I had fished it this year and it looks like this might be the last week of open water :-(. The water temp is 34 degrees according to those who were there Wednesday.

I would love to see the regulations stay.

(fishn) Herb

[PowerBaitHeppy]

and the hotspotting continues....

[Ed Kent]

Juke,

Your assessment is very accurate. With low water conditions we are now experiencing up there, I think the trend will continue. Most of the shore-line vegetation has died off, and if we get a normal winter water level will increase pushing the chubs and shiners out of what cover they are holding in now to a shoreline that will be primarily void of growth.

I think this situation will further predation by the trout and hopfully put a big dent in the chub and shinner populations in the coming years.

Utah, according to Roger they experienced a relatively good spawn this spring, and between natural recruitment and periodic plants of cutthroats, he is encouraged about the future of the fishery. His only concern is that trout are indiscrimanent feeders and may have an impact on the young of the year as well as the non game fish. This is one of the reasons he indicated that fishing there will be cyclic, but overall should be improving yearly.

In any event the news is positive!!!!!

[Utah DaveII]

I'll agree with your assessment with one exception. From 1974-1988 when the chubs became reestablished there was not a single downward slop in chub numbers, anytime! Despite droughts in 1977, 1981 to name just a few. The fact that these chubs are fluctuating is good news indeed and shows some ability of the cutthroats to compete when given a chance to grow.

[Wyoming2utah]

I could be totally wrong, but I never thought the chub to be a fish that held tight to cover...in the lakes with chubs i frequent often, the chubs school up in the open water and can be found just about anywhere in the lake. At Fish Lake, the chub population crashed when the perch started feeding on the eggs of spawning chubs; as a result, the lake trout have turned to rainbows as a forage. The lake trout/splake use perch as a forage far less than the chubs or rainbows because they (the perch) do stick to the cover. Besides, as a big as Strawberry is (despite low water) there is still lots of area for chubs to thrive.

I guess, then, what i am saying is that i don't think that the drought is responsible for the changes in chub numbers; however, Juke is definitely right--it is way too early to point at regulation changes as the reason for improved fishing.

[Wyoming2utah]

So maybe, then, the chub population is going down because of a combination of both factors--the drought and predation. With the low water, the cutts are able to find the smaller chubs...if this is the reason for the lower numbers, then anglers truly do have reason to celebrate. Heavy predation on the small chubs/suckers/shiners would really limit recruitment and result in fewer adults that could spawn in the future.

Just before the dam on Minersville was scheduled to be fixed and the reservoir was drained, anybody on the lake could find the large chubs; they were in large schools throughout the lake. The sad thing about the lake being drained was that the smallmouth bass had come on so strong that they were wiping out the small chubs and the numbers of larger chubs was just beginning to decline. Maybe that is the same place Strawberry is at...perhaps, the cycle is swinging in favor of the cutts and bows again?

[grouser]

Here is a link with more imformation on Strawberry.
www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/03-12/strawberry.html

[Juke]

1. What is in the stomachs of the 16"+ cutthroats? Chubs? If yes, what size? Particularly, in 2000 vs. 2003. This could show trends of higher water vs low water. New regs vs. old regs. Unfortunately lots of variables.
2. What is the succes rate of naturally spawning cutts? Any idea of the population estimates for YOY or 1+ fish in 2003?

Ed's comment have me thinking, and without some idea of the natural recuitment I cannot form an informed opinion of the DWR's strategy.

Thanks for any answers.

[Lonnie]

Originally posted by Juke
...and without some idea of the natural recuitment I cannot form an informed opinion of the DWR's strategy.


Geezz,

This sounds familiar, but I won't go there....


8-)

Lonnie

[Wyoming2utah]

According to the DWR site:

Biologists estimate that natural reproduction in the streams has been responsible for producing as much as 60 percent of the adult cutthroat trout population in Strawberry. Without this natural reproduction fishing would obviously not be as good as it has been.

Game fish spawning operations

Each year in Strawberry Valley, millions of kokanee salmon and cutthroat trout eggs are taken, fertilized, and transported to various hatcheries. Fish hatched from these eggs are reared and subsequently returned to Strawberry Reservoir as fingerling fish.

[Utah DaveII]

I know that they have put natural reproduction at 50% before and I think it was around 15% in 2001, but I think 2002 was the best spawning run since sicne the treatment.

Ed?

w2U by the way are you ever going to answer my e-mail? even a courtesy f-u would be fine.

[Wyoming2utah]

UDII, I never received an email from you...but, here is the link:
http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/strawberry/straw3.html

[PowerBaitHeppy]

Do I need to be the middle man for you two? Dave if you would like, you can email me, then I can pass the email on to W2U....

Most likely both of you are experiencing some sort of PEBKAC error, or ID 10 T error. Let me know if I need to assist. I have been known to be the friendly neighborhood computer geek...

[Utah DaveII]

Your anti-virus keeps filtering me out questionable language.
e-mail me and I'll send it back

[Sir Drake]

The following two references in the DWR release are wrong. While talking to Roger Wilson about the release he asked me to inform as many people as possible. The correct numbers are a 61 percent decrease in one-year-old chubs and a 73 percent reduction in redsided shiners.



"These declines included a 158 percent decrease in the catch of one-year-old chubs that the cutthroats primarily prey upon."

"A 272 percent reduction in the catch of redside shiners was also
noticed from the fall of 2002 to the fall of 2003."

[jdubya]

did you hear anything about the fish numbers on the latest middle provo electrocution? (minus the dead whitefish, of course). no one will tell little old me...

[Utah DaveII]

You'll prbably have to do a grama for the BINNs sheets. I would bet the have not even started to enter the data yet or put it into a population model yet.

[Sir Drake]

JDUB,
I have left messages, but no calls back yet. I'll call again Tuesday.

[Ed Kent]

Wyoming,

Shoot me an email...I have a couple of questions to ask???

[Wyoming2utah]

Done...check your email.

[Jeff Brooks]

Ed,

I missed our December fishing trip, next year for sure...

I know this thread was started to discuss the successes with the Cutt's, and the fish are definitely bigger and more abundant, but I'm wondering what the gill net study revealed about Bow's in the Berry because we'll all agree that the Bear Lake Cutts are a poor game fish and what we really want are the great days from the late 90's with football sized Bows in abundance.

In my four most recent trips to the Berry, I've only caught 3 small Bows and a lot of big Cutts. Any light you can shed on the status of Rainbows in the Berry would be much appreciated.

BTW, your mohair leech was the ticket up there in October!

[Ed Kent]

Jeff,

The only answer I can give you is that people are going to continue to keep fish from strawberry. Now that they can't keep the cutthroats in the slot limit size, people are changing their angling tactics and applying more focus and ultimately more pressure on the rainbow population.

Dave, as for the best spawn ever???? I don't know if this springs was the best ever, but I do know that one other year either 1996 or 1997's spawn was the best reported that I'm aware of.

I'm going to be discussing in detail with Roger, the preliminary results from this year's gill net surveys. I'm hoping to have more information and a better insight as to what we can expect next spring.....

[Utah DaveII]

I wan't thinking the spawn of 2003 but 2002. It doesn't really matter though. Keep us updated on what Roger has to say.

Thanks,

Dave