Mechanical suppression of Northern Pike (NP) in Box Canyon Reservoir occurred between February 28 and April 21 with crews deploying 626 nets and removing 814 Northern Pike. The final catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) was 1.3 NP/net-night for the 2022 suppression effort (Figure 1). The Kalispel Natural Resources Department and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife collected 15 Northern Pike during the 2022 Spring Pike Index Netting (SPIN) Survey conducted May 02 through May 05. The resulting CPUE of 0.26 NP/net-night (95% CI: ± 0.16), 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 0.10 (± 0.20) NP/net, meeting the ≤ 0.50 NP/net-night target for this reach.
In total, 19,430 Northern Pike have been removed through the suppression project in Box Canyon Reservoir, which began in 2012.