Fishery Status Update Butternut-Schnur Lake Association Meeting - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Fishery Status Update Butternut-Schnur Lake Association Meeting September 10, 2016

2014 Walleye Population Estimate

Walleye Recruitment in Butternut Lake Fall Electrofishing Surveys 1986-2015 140 GLIFWC 120 WDNR Average for 2293 surveys of walleye populations sustained Walleye fingerlings/mile 100 by natural reproduction in the Ceded Territory (1990 – 2015) 80 Threshold for natural reproduction > 5/mile 60 40 20 0

Walleye recruitment in area lakes — Fall 2015 Connors Lake Flambeau Flowage Lac Courte Orielles Round Lake Solberg Lake Pike Lake Butternut Lake Sand Lake Chippewa Flowage 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Number age-0 walleye per mile of shoreline electrofishing

Walleye recruitment in area lakes Fall 2010, 2013, and 2015 Connors Lake Lac Courte Orielles Fall 2010 Fall 2013 Round Lake Fall 2015 Pike Lake Butternut Lake Flambeau Flowage Chippewa Flowage 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Number age-0 walleye per mile of shoreline electrofishing

Tribal Walleye Harvest since 1985 Butternut Lake 800 700 600 500 400 300 27-year average = 212 200 100 0

2016 Tribal Declarations and Harvest Butternut Lake Safe Harvest Declared Harvest Walleye 766 727 727 Muskellunge 16 9 --

2014 Tribal Declarations and Harvest Butternut Lake Safe Harvest Declared Harvest Walleye 359 341 271 4 Muskellunge 16 9

2015 Tribal Declarations and Harvest Butternut Lake Safe Harvest Declared Harvest Walleye 951 570 537 Muskellunge 17 10 1

Tribal Musky Harvest since 1985 Butternut Lake 7 6 5 4 3 15-year average = 2.4 2 1 0

Panfish Harvest Regulations

Musky Rule Proposal

Musky Rule Proposal Why? Simplify fishing rules • How? 28-in. MLL → no MLL • 45-in. MLL → 50-in MLL • Where? Butternut & Solberg • When? • WCC spring 2017 hearings Status? Shelved •

Hoffmann Rocks Boat Landing • Large-scale renovations (planned) – “Off the radar…, Not even close…, No time soon…” • Small-scale improvements – Boarding dock – Shore interface – Signs installed/relocated • Routine maintenance – Mowing (monthly) – Parking lot line painting (fall 2016) • Monitoring – Toilet vault (not leaking) – Power loading scour hole (next summer)

Fish Crib Project

Healthy Lakes Initiative

Healthy Lakes Initiative

New culvert on Schnur Creek

← Upstream habitat Downstream habitat →

Ideal culvert placement

New culvert on Schnur Creek

“Perched” culvert

New aquatic weed in Schnur Lake??? Looks like green cotton candy

Filamentous green algae • Spirogyra • Mougeotia • Zygnema Often blooms near • Groundwater seeps • Direct runoff • Aquatic plants

Fishery Information Survey Summaries http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/north/trtysprngsrvys.html Fishery Management Plans http://dnr.wi.gov/water/basin/upchip/