Originally Published by the Comox Valley Record, December 15, 2016

Reel in a fish on Comox Lake this winter and you might just land yourself some prize money for new fishing gear at the same time.

As part of a research project aimed at assessing the health of the lake’s cutthroat trout population, biologists with the Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations have attached coloured “spaghetti” tags to approximately 100 adult cutthroat trout on Comox Lake.

The tags have a four-digit identification number and phone number for the local Fish and Wildlife office. Anglers who land a tagged fish should clip the tag off the fish, then contact the office to provide basic information, including date and time of catch, and report whether the fish was kept or released. Anyone who provides a numbered tag to the Nanaimo Fish and Wildlife office, by mail or in person, will receive a $20 or $100 gift card that can be redeemed at a local tackle shop.

This is the first of a two-year research project that will help evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulations and ensure that trout are not over-fished. Comox Lake supports one of the highest-use lake fisheries on Vancouver Island, with most anglers focused on large-bodied cutthroat trout.

To read more visit the Comox Valley Record

Photo courtesy of the Comox Valley Record. 

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