It’s a fishing story better suited for a late night horror film than a barroom.
In the early 1990’s, on the tranquil waters of Lake Davis in northern California, a fisherman caught himself a large Northern Pike. Dubbed the “Water Wolf”, the Northern Pike is the largest and most voracious predator of northern waters. Muscular and full of teeth, it has an appetite for anything that moves — even other fish. But beyond its unsatiable appetite and violent jaws, the Northern Pike is not known to be adept at interstate highway travel.
In other words, someone introduced this Minnesota native into the trout-friendly, man-made waters of Lake Davis and that someone has unleashed a veritable monster.
Unfettered by the absence of its natural enemies, this natural born killer is reproducing at exponential rates and quickly devouring every other fish in the lake. But the problem of the Northern Pike is not limited to Lake Davis and its popular trout-fishing waters. Lake Davis, as it happens, is surrounded by tributaries.
According to the California Department of Fish and Game, errant Northern Pike in the state’s delta system would lead to a widescale ecological disaster. To prevent this calamity, the state has already poisoned the lake, installed gates in the nearby Grizzly Valley Dam, erected electrical barriers, used “electrofishing”, detonated explosives and continues to patrol all adjacent lakes and reservoirs on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, these efforts have largely failed to exterminate the preternaturally reproductive and aggressive Northern Pike. Meanwhile, the cost of such drastic measures is adding up. To date the state has nearly $15 million in its efforts to prevent the so-called water wolf from taking over downstream waterways, especially salmon fishing areas. Scientists estimate the Pike is only one of 50 invasive exotic fish species in California.
Correspondent John Ridley takes you on a tour of duty in Plumas County, where the fate of California’s fishing and tourism industries is being decided one captured pike at a time.
UpdateMay 12, 2006
In September of 2005, the Department of Fish and Game announced a review process to create a safe plan with minimal impact on community and environment. They are working closely with the community toward a solution and a project could be in place as soon as the end of 2007.
In January 2006, we received an update on the Northern Pike situation from Ed Pert, Manager of the Lake Davis Pike Eradication Project:
“It is noteworthy that [Department of Fish and Game] has removed close to 60,000 from Lake Davis since 1999 using mechanical means, and the pike population continues to dramatically increase, heightening the need for eradication of this predatory, non-native species that could have devastating consequences on the trout, salmon, and other fisheries of California should the pike escape.”