Chapter Meeting--Wisconsin DNR Trout Sampling: How, Why and What Do We Learn?

Join us for an update on Western Wisconsin from Kasey Yallaly.

 

Wisconsin DNR fisheries crews conduct trout stream surveys on hundreds of streams each year. Electrofishing is the main gear used in these surveys but the specific electrofishing gear varies based on the size of stream sampled. They conduct these surveys in order to monitor the health and status of the fishery. Annual, long term monitoring can be used to determine what environmental or biological factors may influence trout populations, monitor levels of natural reproduction and abundance and size structure of populations. Fisheries managers can use this information to inform management decisions and future research projects to effectively manage the fishery, habitat and users of the resource. All of this and more will be discussed!

 

Kasey started with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a Senior Fisheries Biologist in 2018 located in the Baldwin office. Her area of coverage includes St. Croix, Pierce and western Dunn counties. Some of the larger trout streams that she manages includes the Rush, Kinnickinnic, Willow and Eau Galle rivers. Before coming to Wisconsin, she received her Master’s degree at Southern Illinois University. Prior to that, she worked in northern Idaho as a fisheries technician in the Coeur d’Alene office helping manage St. Joseph and Coeur d’Alene rivers’ trout fisheries. She began her career in fisheries in southeast Missouri working on large rivers including the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Illinois rivers.