Tippets: Problem of Private Hatcheries, Return of American Shad, “Judas Fish” Help to Fight Lake Trout

June 21, 2017 By: Erin Block

  • Private hatcheries present unique difficulties for fisheries managers trying to contain the spread of diseases such as whirling disease. Michael Wright reports on “The Hatchery Quandary” in this article via The Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
  • After a 300-year absence, American shad have returned to the Musconetcong River in New Jersey. The Hughesville Dam removal project, completed in November, helped to open the river to this native fish species. Via Leigh Valley Live.
  • The National Park Service is deploying an unusual weapon in fighting invasive lake trout in Western waters: “Judas fish.” The crews create these Judas fish by scooping up adult lake trout, cutting them open and inserting tracking devices. Then they sew the live fish shut and release them back into the lake,” leading biologists to the exact location of their fall spawning grounds. Via Discover Magazine.