CHEMICAL LAKE REHABILITATION 



In some instances, a fishery may become overwhelmed by unwanted fish species such as shiners 

 or suckers that compete with gamefish for food and space or prey directly on eggs or small fry. 

 Even desirable fish such as perch and brook trout can over-reproduce in some instances and stunt 

 out at a small size. In some cases fish biologists may choose to remove all the fish from a lake 

 or pond and start over. This is known as a chemical rehabilitation or "rehab". Biologists use a 

 fish toxicant called rotenone which comes from a South American plant. Rotenone kills fish by 

 interfering with the transfer of oxygen from gills into the bloodstream. Rotenone is approved by 

 the Food and Drug Administration when applied by a licensed applicator. FWP will go through 

 a public involvement process and obtain a permit from the Department of Environmental Quality 

 prior to any rehab. 



Fish killed with rotenone are technically fit for consumption but because the condition of the fish 

 is unknown and rotenone has a petroleum mixing agent that may give an off flavor, FWP 

 discourages salvage. Dead fish are collected when necessary for off-site disposal. 



Rotenone is fairly ^Kcific to fish but may kill some gill-breathing organisms such as crayfish and 

 dragonfly nymphs. Those will usually quickly repopulate. Rotenone will not affect mammals or 

 birds. Rotenone can be detoxified if needed, but usually breaks down quickly into common 

 organic components when exposed to heat, air, and sunlight. 



LAKE DESCRIPnON, MANAGEMENT STATUS, CONCERNS 

 AND PREFERRED MANAGEMENT 



Following are water by water descriptions of the past fish management and stocking histories of 

 each TCL lake along with present management concerns. The alternative management strategies 

 are noted and the prefened management strategy as chosen by the TCL Fishery Citizen Advisory 

 Committee through public input is detailed. 



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