Pike in the San Juan Islands?

[Stonedfish]

An invasive species, on San Juan Island?

A northern pike was found in a pond on San Juan Island. It is unknown how this invasive species made its way to the island in Washington's Puget Sound. Officials are now trying to find out how bad the invasion is.

www.kuow.org

 

[G_Smolt]

Recent studies and mitigation work show they can spread through saltwater vectors as well...hope they nip that shit in the bud for y'all.

Invasive pike can use Cook Inlet to travel between freshwater systems, research finds

Pike dominate any system they’re in, eating salmon and degrading local fish populations.

www.ktoo.org

 

[IHFISH]

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a web page.​

NEWS RELEASE​

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Mar. 7, 2024 Contact: ais@dfw.wa.gov, 1-888-WDFW-AIS Media contact: Staci Lehman, 509-710-4511

WDFW releases draft interagency northern pike rapid response plan​

SPOKANE – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has released a draft Interagency Northern Pike Rapid Response Plan that guides coordination and resources for species management, including preventing the spread of northern pike to new areas in Washington and developing long-term management plans for northern pike. The draft plan is undergoing a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review. As part of that process, WDFW is asking members of the public for input. “This plan is important to conservation in our state as it maps out the response of WDFW and coordinating partners to a number of situations that could arise with the spread of northern pike,” said Justin Bush, aquatic invasive species policy coordinator with WDFW. “It will help to speed our response when timing is critical as partnering agencies and groups will already know their role and be prepared to respond.” The northern pike (Esox Lucius) is a non-native fish classified as a prohibited aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Washington. It has already spread to several water bodies within the state. Illegal stocking in the 1950s in Montana rivers and in the 1970s in the Coeur d’Alene river system led to establishment of northern pike in the upper Columbia River Basin. Since then, the species has steadily expanded downstream to include the Pend Oreille River, Spokane River, and the Columbia River upstream of Grand Coulee Dam. Northern pike have also been introduced in Lake Washington in King County and one was found as recently as last week in a pond on San Juan Island. Northern pike can live over 20 years, can grow to more than 45 pounds, produce a large number of young, and can consume substantial quantities of native and Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmonids that are particularly vulnerable to predation. “Given their population dynamics and physiology, it is likely that northern pike will eventually expand into waters throughout the entire state,” said Chris Donley, WDFW Eastern Region (Region 1) Fish Program manager. “Preventative work done now will help to minimize the environmental, economic, and cultural resource impacts of northern pike later.” WDFW contracted with Four Peaks Environmental Science and Data Solutions to develop the Interagency Northern Pike Rapid Response Plan. It is divided into three parts: 1) Prevention and Early Detection 2) Rapid Response Activities, and 3) Extended Response Activities. Partners in the development of the plan include the Washington Invasive Species Council, Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT), and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) were also involved. “Partnering with other groups and governments to fight the spread of northern pike will allows us to be more efficient and make more progress using fewer resources than if each agency worked individually,” said Chad Jackson, WDFW North Central Region (Region 2) Fish Program manager. Public comments can be submitted online at SEPA DNS 24-009 Interagency Northern Pike Rapid Response Plan - PublicInput or by emailing to NPikePlan@PublicInput.com. Comments can also be mailed to Lisa Wood, SEPA/NEPA Coordinator, WDFW Habitat Program, Protection Division, P.O. Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504. All comments, included mailed once, must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 19, 2024, to be considered. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.

Request this information in an alternative format or language at wdfw.wa.gov/accessibility/requests-accommodation, 833-855-1012, TTY (711), or CivilRightsTeam@dfw.wa.gov.

 

[troutpocket]

Last year it was a bluefin tuna on Orcas. This year a pike on San Juan. Strange days!

Mystery of 200-pound bluefin tuna washed up on Orcas Island finally begins to unravel

How did a giant bluefin tuna end up in the Salish Sea for the first time ever? We may finally have some answers.

www.kiro7.com

 

[Dave Boyle]

Amazed that the penalties for doing bucket biology are so low. Once fish are released, the damage to control them is so much more.

Dave

 

[Matt B]

Amazed that the penalties for doing bucket biology are so low. Once fish are released, the damage to control them is so much more.

Dave

Agreed. If someone is found responsible for this kind of crap it would be just to make them quit their job and work full time helping to fix the problem they caused. Get ol’ Snake Eyes to oversee ‘em.

 

[Tom Butler]

Agreed. If someone is found responsible for this kind of crap it would be just to make them quit their job and work full time helping to fix the problem they caused. Get ol’ Snake Eyes to oversee ‘em.

Or Angel Eyes.



I bet there would be no recidivism, and a strong deterrence factor, if he was the boss on the litter/dumping chain gang also!

 

[Stonedfish]

There is definitely a good deal of bucket biology that goes on in this state. One lake I fish for LM bass now suddenly has had SM show up in just the past few years.
There is a lake maybe five miles away that has SM. My guess is some SM got transplanted from the other lake via the white bucket……
SF

 

[Pink Nighty]

Recent studies and mitigation work show they can spread through saltwater vectors as well...hope they nip that shit in the bud for y'all.

Invasive pike can use Cook Inlet to travel between freshwater systems, research finds

Pike dominate any system they’re in, eating salmon and degrading local fish populations.

www.ktoo.org

This is an interesting article! From what I read though, their main evidence of marine travel comes from finding pike in inaccessible lakes that are only connected to pike bearing waters by using a saltwater vector.

I've seen multiple instances of shallow spawing fish (bluegill and bass, for instance) show up in waters that I fully know did not contain them and did not have them introduced by people. They make their way into those waters as eggs in the GI tract of diving birds. A study I've read showed up to 5% of fertilized bass eggs will survive and remain viable after coming out the back end of a duck. It happens relatively often with shallow lake spawners, as fish eggs make an important spring meal on every waterfowl flyway on the northward migration.

It wouldn't shock me to learn pike were able to travel in saltwater, especially brackish estuaries. But having read that article I'm not convinced they proved that theory.

 

[jeradjames]

It would make sense they could travel via the Sound since the Baltic Sea holds pike.

 

[G_Smolt]

This is an interesting article! From what I read though, their main evidence of marine travel comes from finding pike in inaccessible lakes that are only connected to pike bearing waters by using a saltwater vector.

There is also the sentence about department staff being notified of pike catches in the cook inlet sockeye setnet fisheries.
While anecdotal, it is indeed some proof of saltwater travel.

 

[Stonedfish]

If I recall correctly, Adam from the old forum used to post reports of catching pike in the salt in europe somewhere.
SF

 

[Pink Nighty]

There is also the sentence about department staff being notified of pike catches in the cook inlet sockeye setnet fisheries.
While anecdotal, it is indeed some proof of saltwater travel.

Welp I missed that part!

 

[troutpocket]

I visited Sweden and heard there are pike in the Baltic Sea. Sketchy!

 

[Chucker]

There are lots of pike in the Baltic Sea, but only the parts of the Baltic that are lower in salinity than the open ocean. I think pike can tolerate up to around 16 ppt of salt, but can only spawn successfully at <7 ppt. The Sound is all much saltier, pike are not getting to SJI that way.

 

[iveofione]

As an invasive species pike are just amateurs. Look at what humans have done to the planet...

 

[Dustin Chromers]

There is definitely a good deal of bucket biology that goes on in this state. One lake I fish for LM bass now suddenly has had SM show up in just the past few years.
There is a lake maybe five miles away that has SM. My guess is some SM got transplanted from the other lake via the white bucket……
SF

Summit lake in the black hills never had bass. Now we got both types

 

[Bugmeister]

I would love to fish for pike in Lake Washington (and bonk one if I catch one) but have no idea how to find them. I think I need a Boston Whaler and a lot of help.

The lake is big and my pike skills are small…I caught one (somehow) on a camping trip to Wisconsin when I was little, and have caught a few in MT in a river system, but for the most part they are a mystery.

 

[speedbird]

I would love to fish for pike in Lake Washington (and bonk one if I catch one) but have no idea how to find them. I think I need a Boston Whaler and a lot of help.

The lake is big and my pike skills are small…I caught one (somehow) on a camping trip to Wisconsin when I was little, and have caught a few in MT in a river system, but for the most part they are a mystery.

I remember sitting locked at home in 2020 and watching this video, and getting excited to go catch and kill a pike, but unsurprisingly pike fishermen aren't keen to share spots

 

[Aufwuchs]

I remember reading about someone catching a walleye in Lake WA some years back. Hopefully whoever dumped the pike and walleye in there didn't dump enough of them to become established