Gold fish are an invasive fish species and unfortunately a problem in British Columbia lakes. They were and continue to be illegally dumped into White Lake with the result that schools of gold fish are now observed. Gold fish are opportunistic feeders, feeding on crustaceans, insects and small trout fingerlings. As a result, naturally occurring fresh water shrimp (trout feed) have become depleted by gold fish predation leaving nothing for the trout.
Killing all fish in the lake and then restocking with trout native to British Columbia is expensive. The approach the British Columbia Government authorizes is electro-shocking the gold fish in White Lake. The gold fish are processed and disposed of in deeper parts of the lake to feed the recently stocked trout fingerlings.
The Salmon Arm Fish and Game Club (SAFGC), in partnership with the Shuswap Flyfishers association, have donated funds and in-kind labour to control the gold fish population in White Lake. Both club and association worked with Tisdale Environmental Consulting to electro-shock the gold fish over several weeks this summer during the time gold fish spawn. Electro-shocking is not a gold fish eradication strategy but a targeting strategy; the targets are the female gold fish that lay between 30,000 – 90,000 eggs when they spawn. Females can spawn up to 3 times a year. This targeting strategy is designed to interfere with the gold fish spawning process and reduce their reproduction rate in order to give the trout a fighting chance.
Last year, Neil Profili, from the Shuswap Flyfishers, participated with SAFGC club members Julian Kuna and Larry Francoer to electro-shock gold fish on White Lake. This year Julian and Larry worked with the BC Ministry Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tisdale Environmental Consulting to electro-shock and target spawning gold fish. Both the Shuswap Flyfishers and the SAFGC donated funds toward this project in 2021.
This second summer of electro-shocking is now completed. White Lake will require future summer electro-shocking to keep gold fish numbers down and increase the survival rates of our British Columbian trout.
Thanks to all who participated.
Richard Wale
President
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