The northern pike in Lake Davis, apparently quite adaptable in areas where they supposedly “don’t belong”, is poisoned (along with everything else) again.
Here is some information about them from Wikipeida
“Although generally acknowledged as a "sporting" quarry, most anglers release pike they have caught because the flesh is considered bony, especially due to the substantial (epipleural) "Y-bones". However, the larger fish are more easily filleted, and pike have a long and distinguished history in cuisine and are popular fare in Europe. Historical references to cooking pike go as far back as the Romans. The flesh is white and mild-tasting. Fishing for pike is said to be very exciting with their aggressive hits and aerial acrobatics. Pike are among the largest freshwater fish.
“Because of their prolific nature and their aggressiveness as predators, laws have been enacted in some places to help stop the spread of northern pike outside of their native range. For instance, in the State of Maine, anglers are required, by law, to remove the head from a pike once it has been caught.
“Elsewhere, notably in the British Isles, pike are highly-prized as a sporting fish and they are returned alive to the water in order to safeguard future sport and maintain the balance of a fishery. [Pike Anglers Club] has campaigned to preserve pike since 1977. It argues removal of pike from waters can lead to an explosion of smaller fish, so damaging both the sport fishery and the natural balance.”
Humans start round two against Lake Davis pike
Poisoning the water will kill off invasive fish, scientists hope.
By Dorothy Korber - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Armed with poison and technology, humans launched their last-ditch battle Monday against the stubborn, voracious predator of Lake Davis: the northern pike.
The aim is to kill the invasive fish -- and, collaterally, all other fish in the lake -- and then restock the reservoir with native trout.
"If we don't get them this time, we will have to weigh whether it's humanly possible to eradicate pike in Lake Davis," said Ed Pert, manager of the $16.7 million project for California Department of Fish and Game.
As television news cameras rolled Monday morning, Pert's crew began dripping and spraying 300 gallons of rotenone on the creeks and other tributaries feeding the lake. An additional 16,000 gallons of the naturally occurring poison -- deadly to gilled creatures -- will be placed in the lake itself beginning Sept. 25.
Meanwhile, Lake Davis and its watershed in Plumas National Forest will be closed to the public until the water is free of rotenone.
As he spoke, Pert stood on the bank of Big Grizzly Creek, which winds its way through the evergreens and sagebrush into Lake Davis. A few feet away, a five-gallon container of rotenone dripped steadily into the creek. Already, the silvery underside of a dead trout was visible on the muddy bottom.
Pert said pike -- large, skinny fish with a snout full of sharp teeth -- like to hide in ambush along the grassy edges of such streams.
"They are a top-line predator that can take over an entire ecosystem and eat all the other fish," he said. "They're native to places like Michigan and Wisconsin -- all 'round the top of the globe, in fact. But they don't belong here."
