Laserfiche WebLink
-38- <br />There has been speculation that years of high average flows tended <br />to reduce creel rates. River flows during the 1977 fishing season were <br />36% below 1976 flows (Table 17), and the creel rates increased slightly <br />over 1976 levels, from 0.41 to 0.47 fish per fisherman-hr. It is doubtful, <br />however, that the small increase is signficantly different. A graph of <br />creel rates plotted against mean river flows indicates no clear trend <br />(Fig. 3). It is possible that river flows may influence day-to-day <br />creel rates, but there is no evidence to suggest that yearly mean flows <br />affect the yearly mean creel rate. <br />Recommendations <br />Creel survey of the Flaming Gorge tailwaters should continue, <br />since this will be the primary means of assessing changes in the <br />fishery resulting from warmer releases through the penstocks. The <br />method of estimating shore fishing pressure should be perfected to <br />allow calculation of confidence limits. A more accurate estimate <br />of fishing use between the count zones will be necessary before a <br />valid estimate of variance can be obtained, however. Work should <br />continue toward perfecting a mechanical raft counter. If problems <br />with the present photoelectric counter can not be resolved then the <br />possibility of using a time-lapse camera should be explored.