Anglers urged to fish out invasive bass from Campbell River lake in Canada

The province will start setting gill nets and using “electrofishing” in Echo Lake near Campbell River this month in an attempt to eradicate an invasive sports fish. Anglers are also urged to cast their lines to catch as many smallmouth bass as possible, freeze their catches and report them to fisheries officials. Smallmouth bass were introduced into the lake recently and prey heavily on smaller trout and other fish, said Sarah Unrau, a biologist for the A-Tlegay Fisheries Society, a collaboration of five area First Nations that is assisting the province in the eradication effort. Unrau said it isn’t known how many of the small mouth bass are in Echo Lake, about 15 minutes from Campbell River along the Gold River Highway. But she said there is concern the bass could make their way to the nearby Campbell River watershed and damage populations of trout and salmon. The ministry said smallmouth bass, which can out-compete native fish species, were introduced illegally into Echo Lake. ...