Going fishing

ByMatthew Crane Reading Time: 2 minutes
Andy Bueltmann, District 6 biologist, demonstrated how the students would use the long-handled nets to scoop fish out of the water without smacking their fellow students with the long pole before taking them out on the lake to collect fish.

About 70 Jasper High School students visited Huntingburg Lake on Tuesday to learn how the Indiana Department of Natural Resources conducts fish surveys of Indiana lakes and ponds.

The AP Biology and Environmental Studies students were shown how to operate the electrical current on the DNR boats and collect stunned fish. For the curious, biologists use the lake’s chemical makeup and temperature to determine the correct wattage to run to the electrodes at the ends of the hangars. The boat acts as a cathode for the electrical current, stunning fish in the area and causing them to float to the surface.

According to Andy Bueltmann, District 6 biologist, the fish recover fairly quickly.

Students took turns heading out on the boats while those on shore cataloged and measured the different species already collected.

Erin Escobar scoops a large carp while students in the boat react to its size and sudden appearance.
Tessa Werne takes hold of a young spotted gar found in the lake.
Keira Giesler held a saugeye found during the survey. Saugeye are a hybrid between sauger and walleye. They are sterile and have to be stocked in lakes.
Emma Nowotarski takes a photo of the carp Aaron Escobar collected while Tessa Werne holds it.
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