46 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2018
carpsuckers, two carp and one bass and
quillback have made the trip twice.
The data also shows that during
periods of high flows in the river, when
the lake level is lowered to allow more
room for the excess water coming
downstream, more fish pass. Schainost
said the likely reason is because higher
flows also mean a higher river level
below the dam, leaving less elevation
to cover and improving flow conditions
in the fishway.
There are many more untagged fish
going through the fishway as well. In a
netting survey on the river last August,
biologists caught 78 channel catfish,
only four of which were tagged. Using
standard sampling formulas, Schainost
estimated 5,000 catfish passed through
the fishway. "That's a rough estimate,
with the emphasis on rough," he said,
noting that he's not concerned about
the exact number. "I'm just interested
that the fish are getting though."
Water started flowing through the
fishway again in April this year and
it will continue through September
or October. "There's really no point
in running it through the winter,"
Schainost said. "Most of the movement
is done by mid-July. The fish are still
using it through the summer, but when
the weather starts turning cold the fish
start moving back downriver."
Another 640 fish were tagged this
spring, but this is likely the last year
they will be. The tag readers will
continue to operate as long as there are
tagged fish remaining to monitor. That
will allow managers to continue to
experiment with volume and timing of
flows through the fishway to determine
which combination allows the most
fish to pass. While there are numerous
dams where fish bypasses could prove
beneficial, the cost may preclude
construction of more. But if the
opportunity does arise, the information
Anglers watch their lines for a bite while fishing the lake behind Spalding Dam last summer.
