Photo By David Elmstrom | Big Sandy Lake, near McGregor, Minnesota, Aug. 2. USACE St. Paul District photo by...... read more read more
The St. Paul District, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or MNDNR, is looking at fish data in and around the Big Sandy Lake system.
The Planning Assistance to States Big Sandy Lake project is a two-fold effort in tracking fish that were otherwise unmonitored.
“We’re doing two different projects at the same time. One, we’re externally tagging fish to estimate the population size of the walleye in Big Sandy Lake. Two, we’ve been implanting acoustical tags in a small number of walleye for the last three years in the lake and we’re tracking them using an acoustical array,” said Rick Bruesewitz, MNDNR area fisheries supervisor.
“Twice a year, we go out and retrieve our hydrophones, they’re receivers in the lake and surrounding system, and download the data from hearing the fish that we tagged with the acoustical tags,” Bruesewitz said.
The study is looking at how fish are moving in Big Sandy Lake and if they are able to traverse the Sandy Lake Dam and move out of the lake.
Karla Sparks, project manager, said the study began in 2019 because the MNDNR was having trouble determining why fish weren’t in Big Sandy Lake even though they were stocking the lake. MNDNR wanted to figure out where the fish were going.
It’s a team effort.
The Corps and MNDNR have partnered with Iowa State University on this effort to utilize their fish tagging expertise and data analysis.
The Corps staff at Sandy Lake Recreation and biologist David Potter have been an integral part of the tagging and data analysis.
The Corps and MNDNR signed a 50/50 cost-share study within the Planning Assistance to States program in January 2020. Under its Planning Assistance to States and Tribes Program, the Corps is authorized to use its technical expertise in water and related land resource management to help states, federally recognized Indian Tribes and other eligible units of government with their water resource problems.
“The Planning Assistance to States program is a huge way to boost our resources,” Bruesewitz said.
“This program allows the Corps to help states manage their water resources,” Sparks said. “This is a great example of how the Corps can help our state partners, and hopefully it will lead to additional projects helping with the biological health of our water systems.”
According to Sparks, the study is ongoing. The final data collection is scheduled this fall, with a completed report in 2024.
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| Date Taken: | 11.07.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2023 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 457399 |
| Location: | MCGREGOR, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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