A fish tagging program in Quesnel Lake could net anglers a small cash reward simply for fishing this summer.
Staff from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations office in Williams Lake are working on the Quesnel Lake Tagging Program again this year in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the behaviour and biology of rainbow trout, lake trout and bull trout in the area lake.
Hundreds of numbered, color-coded ‘floy’ tags have been applied to trout in Quesnel Lake as part of the tagging program, which is currently in its third of a seven-year program.
If an angler catches a tagged fish, whether releasing or harvesting it, they are being asked to clip off the tag(s) with scissors, side cutters or knife and record the date and location of capture.
Reward tags, which are orange or green and include the text “$100 reward” or “$10 reward” are worth the specified value. All tag information is central to the success of the study.
Research collected from the study will be used to ensure angling regulations are sustainable while not being unnecessarily restrictive for the various species.
Anglers are asked to record the date and location of capture, whether they kept or released the trout, and tag number(s), and return the tag(s) either in person or by mail to:
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Resource Management Branch
400-640 Borland, Williams Lake, BC V2G 4T1.
For more information contact the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations office in Williams Lake at 250-398-4574.