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November 23, 2009

Fish Removed from Patterson Lake

North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel have applied a chemical to eradicate fish from Patterson Lake and will begin stocking efforts with preferred species next year, according to Jeff Hendrickson, southwest district fisheries supervisor.

More than 5,000 pounds of fish, mostly carp, were cleaned up by volunteers Nov. 14. Since then, many more continue to surface and drift toward shore. Rotenone, the chemical used to eradicate the fish, remains active in the water for several days before it breaks down naturally.

Hendrickson said the plan is to manage the lake as a walleye-crappie fishery. “Our hope is that a decent sport fishery could be established in just a few years,” he said.

The extreme winter of 2008-09 resulted in a significant fish kill at Patterson Lake, located two miles west of Dickinson in Stark County. Spring and summer netting assessments indicated that virtually all of the game fish were killed.

“The final outcome of the eradication project will not be known for sure until next spring, but it appears successful,” Hendrickson said.

Hendrickson said Patterson Lake is the biggest eradication project attempted by the Game and Fish Department. “However, a project of this magnitude couldn’t have been completed without the cooperation of many government and private entities,” he said.

The Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cities of Dickinson, Belfield and South Heart, Pheasant Country Golf Club, Southwest Anglers and Patterson Lake Cabin Owners provided support. In addition, more than 100 landowners allowed access for Game and Fish personnel to treat the streams and tributaries of the Heart River in the Patterson Lake watershed.

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