The Brookings Wildlife Federation will host Game, Fish and Parks fisheries biologists Dave Lucchesi and Mark Ermer at its monthly Infolunch on May 3. The guests will talk about GFP fisheries programs, and prospects for fishing this spring.

The federation meets at noon in the Brookings County Outdoor Adventure Center, 2810 22nd Ave S. A buffet lunch will be available for a free-will donation.

At this annual get together the GFP biologists update the locals on new programs, regulations, and fisheries management issues such as:

• Stocking area lakes
• The non-native, invasive Zebra mussel
• The status of walleye management in Lake Oahe

Each spring, lake fishes like walleye, perch, and northern pike are netted in trap nets for artificial spawning, and when needed, adult fish are transferred to other lakes. For example, when fish are over-abundant in one lake, they may be transferred to small lakes where youth and family fishing is popular.

The state fish, the walleye, gets special attention. The walleye spawning program requires the biologists to set nets in various waters throughout the state as soon as the ice goes off. Walleyes in spawning condition can usually be “stripped,” meaning that the eggs and sperm can be expressed from the fish into containers where fertilization takes place.

The adult walleyes are returned to the lake. The fertilized eggs are taken to Blue Dog Fish Hatchery where they are hatched and reared for restocking. The young fish “fry” are restocked by the millions as 6-day-old fry, or as 3-inch-long fingerlings after they spend one summer growing in hatchery ponds or small natural wetlands.

The walleye population in Lake Oahe has been a nagging problem over the past decade, which shows how GFP management can only do so much — Mother Nature is ultimately in control. In 2011, extremely high water levels required high discharges from Oahe Dam. Out with the water went many of Oahe’s fish, thus upsetting the balance of predator and prey in the lake.

Through the years, catches have been low and fish were small, but now the walleye population and the populations of prey fish, called “forage fish,” have recovered.

The infolunch guests might predict: “Oahe is again set up for great fishing.” Is it true that several “state record” fish were caught in GFP nets, spawned, and returned to the lake this spring?

The GFP is concerned about the invasive zebra mussel, called an aquatic nuisance species. The little mussel with the zebra-striped shell can become so abundant that it changes a lake’s ecosystem in ways that ultimately changes the water quality and fishery. Zebras can also impact water infrastructure. For example, the April issue of the Kingbrook Rural Water System magazine told of clogged water intakes and chemical treatment programs to keep pipes clear.

The zebra is in the Big Sioux River so lakes connected to the river are vulnerable to zebra invasion. Lake Campbell might get Zebras naturally from high river water levels, or from water brought to the lake by anglers in boats or bait buckets.

Larry Tjeerdsma, a board member of the Lake Campbell Sportsmen’s Club says “Club members and lake residents are helping GFP monitor by checking docks and boat lifts for zebras.”

The BWF is affiliated with the South Dakota Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation. The BWF is in its 43rd year of supplying conservation information and activities to the Brookings community.

For more information, contact BWF President Bob Kurtz at 605- 695-1361.