Lake trout gillnetting on Upper Priest resumes this month

Lake trout removal in Upper Priest Lake will begin May 11 and run until May 29.

The annual Idaho Fish and Game gillnetting program is meant to reduce lake trout numbers while enhancing numbers of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.

The nets are placed at the bottom of the lake in an effort to target groups of lake trout, but they do not affect recreational boaters.

Fish and Game uses the program to conserve native fish, and the removal of lake trout has been a Fish and Game management tool for 20 years resulting in an increase in bull trout numbers, according to the department.

Fish and Game, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, will use developed sites for launching and camping. The developed Forest Service sites are still closed to the public.

— Ralph Bartholdt