Fisheries, Subsistence, and Habitat
Publications Searchable Database
Search Again| Division: | Sport Fish |
| Title: | Control efforts for invasive northern pike on the Kenai Peninsula, 2005-2006 |
| Author: | Massengill, R. L |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Report ID: | Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 10-05, Anchorage. |
| Abstract: | Invasive northern pike found in Southcentral Alaska, including the Kenai Peninsula, originated from illegal introductions and subsequent pioneering. Northern pike are native to many areas north of the Alaska Range. Invasive northern pike have the potential to severely impact native fish species, particularly salmonids and trout. This report summarizes efforts to reduce the population of northern pike in two Kenai Peninsula lakes and to inventory for the presence of northern pike in other local lakes. In 2005 and 2006, a total of 2,538 and 732 northern pike were removed, respectively, from two Kenai Peninsula area lakes. The Derks Lake northern pike catch per unit effort (CPUE) for gillnets was 0.067 in 2005 and 0.051 in 2006. The Sevena Lake northern pike CPUE was 0.241 in 2005 and 0.084 in 2006. T-tests comparing the mean CPUE between years for each lake showed the mean CPUE did not decrease significantly between 2004 and 2005 (Derks Lake [P =0.05] and Sevena Lake [P = 0.001]), 2005 and 2006 (Derks Lake [P = 0.10] and Sevena Lake [P = 0.03]), or 2004 and 2006 (Derks Lake [P = 0.03] and Sevena Lake [P = 0.00014]). Both lakes had higher proportions of smaller (juvenile) northern pike in 2006 compared to those taken in 2005. Nineteen other local lakes, suspected or believed to contain northern pike, were inventoried with gillnets in 2006 and northern pike were confirmed in six. |
| Keywords: | Kenai Peninsula, Derks Lake, Sevena Lake, northern pike, CPUE, invasive species |