'Undesirable' fish species found in western Kansas lake

'Undesirable' fish species found in western Kansas lake

Source: hayspost

9/29/2022

'Undesirable' fish species found in western Kansas lake

Reports from the public of alleged “intruders” in Scott State Fishing Lake were recently confirmed by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Fisheries biologists in late August 2022. Fisheries staff confirmed the presence of gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, in the spring-fed lake — 91 gizzard shad that averaged 5.7 inches long to be precise — during an exploratory electrofishing survey.

Based on the gizzard shad sampled, staff are confident the majority were hatched just this year.

“Given the relatively high abundance and young age, it’s likely that most of the current population was produced in Scott State Fishing Lake and not the result of immigration or stocking,” said KDWP district Fisheries biologist Dave Spalsbury.”

Well, it wasn’t Department-led stocking, that is.