ODFW fish survey crew due on Crooked River

Anglers fishing the Crooked River below Bowman Dam the week of June 16 are likely to see a crew from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife conducting its annual fish survey.

ODFW biologists will be electrofishing the river between the Big Bend and Cobble Rock campgrounds from Monday, June 16 through Friday, June 20.

During the sampling, fish are stunned and netted so biologists can record the size, condition, and abundance of both redband trout and mountain whitefish.

The fish are then released unharmed. Fishing is likely to be adversely affected in the portion of the river being sampled, but the remainder of the river will be unaffected.

For safety reasons, ODFW advises anglers to avoid this stretch of river while the biologists are sampling.

The population assessment estimates the number of fish eight-inches or longer per river mile for redband trout and mountain whitefish.

In 2013, the number of redband trout per mile increased from the previous year to 8,063 fish per mile. The number of mountain whitefish per mile decreased slightly to 5,584 fish per mile.

ODFW began sampling the Crooked River in 1989 in order to track the long-term health of the redband trout population.