Monday March 31, 2025
ODFW —
This spring, ODFW staff deployed large nets in Wallowa Lake to monitor fish population trends and assess the impact of lake trout on other species. The nets will be in place for about four weeks for research purposes only and are not part of a fish removal effort.
Anglers on Wallowa Lake are encouraged to steer clear of nets (buoy-marked areas) while trolling and fishing.
In addition to general monitoring of the fish, ODFW and the Nez Perce Tribe will be looking specifically at the catch of lake trout which are large, predatory fish native to the Great Lakes region of North America. They were introduced to Wallowa Lake in the 1960s and have since persisted on their own. In some lakes in the western United States, introduced lake trout have decimated other species present which is a concern particularly for Wallowa Lake kokanee.
While ODFW has not yet found any evidence that lake trout are negatively impacting other fish species in Wallowa Lake, given the importance of species such as kokanee and the planned reintroduction of sockeye salmon, it is vital that state and tribal biologists gain a clearer picture of lake trout population dynamics.