Mechanical suppression of Northern Pike (NP) in Box Canyon Reservoir occurred between March 01 and April 21 with crews deploying 556 nets and removing 610 Northern Pike. The final catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) was 1.1 NP/net-night for the 2021 suppression effort (Figure 1). The Kalispel Natural Resources Department and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife collected 37 Northern Pike during the 2021 Spring Pike Index Netting (SPIN) Survey conducted May 03 through May 06. The resulting CPUE of 0.62 NP/net-night (95% CI: ± 0.32), in sloughs and the mainstem river between the Riverbend (RM 60-61) and Pioneer Park Campground (RM 86-87) met the abundance target of ≤ 1.73 NP/net-night for these sections of the reservoir (see BCR Target Abundance document for specifics on the target development). The mean CPUE north of Riverbend was 0.56 (± 0.47) NP/net; not significantly different than the ≤ 0.50 NP/net-night target for this reach.
In total, 18,616 Northern Pike have been removed through the suppression project in Box Canyon Reservoir, which began in 2012.