Contact:
Robert Begich
Area Management Biologist
Phone: 907-262-9368
June 15, 2016
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Division will be eradicating northern pike in the Soldotna Creek drainage during the summer of 2016. The waters affected by this project include Sevena Lake and Soldotna Creek near the City of Soldotna.
From June 26 through June 30, a fish pesticide called rotenone will be applied by department staff walking along the creek with backpack sprayers and operating drip stations. In addition, rotenone will be applied in Sevena Lake with boats, and a helicopter will spray portions of Soldotna Creek and connected wetlands.
Prior to the treatment, signs will be posted at access points along the drainage notifying the public when the work will begin and instructing the public to avoid contacting or recreating in affected waters during the treatment.
The rotenone is expected to dilute quickly to concentrations that are not harmful to fish upon mixing with the Kenai River. As a precaution, the rotenone will be deactivated with potassium permanganate prior to leaving the treatment area and before it enters the Kenai River. The potassium permanganate will not be harmful to fish at the concentrations used but will temporarily color the water of Soldotna Creek purple, which could be visible near the Soldotna Creek – Kenai River confluence.
Native fish relocation efforts presently underway will continue up to a few days prior to the treatment. The native fish relocation effort has been ongoing since the spring of 2015 and, to date, over 55,000 native fish have been captured from Soldotna Creek and Sevena Lake and released alive into lakes within the drainage that were treated with rotenone to eradicate northern pike during the fall of 2014. This 2016 effort is the second of three treatments that are part of a multi-year project to eradicate northern pike and to restore native fish populations to the Soldotna Creek drainage.
More information about the Soldotna Creek northern pike eradication project can be found at the webpage link below:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=rotenone.currentprojects
For more information, contact Robert Begich in Soldotna at 907-262-9368.