Moricetown tagging update

Here is an update on the sonic tagging program at Moricetown on the Bulkley river.
Information courtesy Min. of Environment, Smithers

A pilot, steelhead sonic tagging project was initiated this month; throughout the summer/fall, 65 tags will be placed on steelhead captured in the Moricetown Canyon dipnet and beach seine fisheries – the objective is to assess drop-back in order to calibrate the Moricetown Canyon mark-recapture derived steelhead abundance estimate. If you do recover a steelhead with a sonic transmitter attached to the base of the dorsal fin (see attached photo: Sonic Tag), please do not handle the transmitter but report the capture location, fish and tag condition via e-mail or telephone (250.847.7297). Approximately 466 steelhead have been captured to date in the Moricetown Canyon mark-recapture fishery (230 dipnet, 236 beach seine). Twenty sonic tags have been applied, 10 in each fishery.