Joint speckled trout study to help determine movements of Louisiana’s favorite fish

Joint speckled trout study to help determine movements of Louisiana’s favorite fish Study in Calcasieu Lake is a joint effort of CCA, LDWF and LSU LAKE CHARLES—The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana is participating in a high-tech study with scientists at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and LSU to identify the movements of speckled trout in Calcasieu Lake. “This is an exciting and unusual study that will employ the latest in technology to help us understand more about the habits and movements of speckled trout—the No. 1 favorite among Louisiana recreational fishermen,” said Chas Drost, president of the CCA’s Lake Charles chapter. “CCA volunteers will catch and provide the live trout that will be used in the study and we are committed to making our members and other anglers aware of the program.” Under the two-year study, which begins in May, Capt. Will Drost and a team of CCA volunteers will catch and keep alive at least 55 speckled trout of different lengths. The live trout will be rushed to a barge in Calcasieu Lake where biologists will surgically implant them with tiny transmitters that send out “ping” sounds when detected by receivers that will be placed on channel markers in the lake and the Calcasieu Ship Channel. The trout will also be tagged with yellow dart tags bearing messages for anglers to release the trout if they catch one and contact information for reporting the catch’s location. Jody Callihan, a Ph.D. student within the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Studies, is leading the project in conjunction with LDWF and CCA. “The Calcasieu Lake study is part of a larger study aimed at better understanding stock structure and characteristics, seasonal migration, and habitat use of spotted sea trout statewide,” said Callihan. “We want fishermen to be aware of the study and to release our tagged trout if they happen to catch one.” All fish implanted with acoustic transmitters will be marked with a yellow dart tag below the dorsal fin that states “LSU Research Please Release.” Anglers are asked to call (800) 891-3977 to report where and when a tagged fish is caught. Those who report catching a tagged trout will receive a Louisiana Sport Fish Tagging Program hat and T-shirt and entered in a lottery for door prizes such as GPS units. CCA Louisiana has its own volunteer-based tagging program that has resulted in over 150,000 small marine fish being tagged and released. When an angler catches a tagged fish, he or she reports the location to the National Marine Fisheries Service, where the data is analyzed for scientific purposes. The tags on those fish are also yellow.

 

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