10-23-2004, 08:25 PM
North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel will have a salmon ladder set up on the main boat ramp at Lake Sakakawea State Park, according to Jason Lee, fisheries biologist, Riverdale.
"Due to the low water levels in Lake Sakakawea this year, the traditional locations in Rodeo (Scoria) Bay are not suitable for the spawning ladder use," Lee said.
Plans are to start the operation of the ladder Oct. 5, with it being in place for most, if not all, of October. "Anglers will still have room to launch boats," Lee added. "However, the area near the spawning ladder will be closed to fishing."
Because of the small size of the bay where the ladder is set up, anglers may find crowded conditions at times. The department is asking that anglers be considerate of others so this bay can remain open to fishing.
The spawning ladder is a 60 foot long, four foot diameter culvert containing a series of baffles. The baffles create pools (steps) where salmon stage or rest as they swim to the top of the ladder. The ladder is set up perpendicular to the shoreline and is typically supplied with water 24 hours a day while the salmon are spawning. The spawning ladder simulates a flowing stream thereby attracting spawning fish.
Chinook salmon begin their spawning run in early October. Since salmon cannot naturally reproduce in the lake, game and fish and Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery personnel collect and fertilize eggs and transport them to the hatchery.
Once the eggs hatch, young salmon spend several months in the hatchery before they are stocked in Lake Sakakawea in the spring.
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"Due to the low water levels in Lake Sakakawea this year, the traditional locations in Rodeo (Scoria) Bay are not suitable for the spawning ladder use," Lee said.
Plans are to start the operation of the ladder Oct. 5, with it being in place for most, if not all, of October. "Anglers will still have room to launch boats," Lee added. "However, the area near the spawning ladder will be closed to fishing."
Because of the small size of the bay where the ladder is set up, anglers may find crowded conditions at times. The department is asking that anglers be considerate of others so this bay can remain open to fishing.
The spawning ladder is a 60 foot long, four foot diameter culvert containing a series of baffles. The baffles create pools (steps) where salmon stage or rest as they swim to the top of the ladder. The ladder is set up perpendicular to the shoreline and is typically supplied with water 24 hours a day while the salmon are spawning. The spawning ladder simulates a flowing stream thereby attracting spawning fish.
Chinook salmon begin their spawning run in early October. Since salmon cannot naturally reproduce in the lake, game and fish and Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery personnel collect and fertilize eggs and transport them to the hatchery.
Once the eggs hatch, young salmon spend several months in the hatchery before they are stocked in Lake Sakakawea in the spring.
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