Fisheries Resources of Williston Reservoir Twenty Years After Impoundment

This report summarizes results of a gill netting project conducted in Williston Reservoir, British Columbia, as part of a three-year program to address the lack of information on the status of fish stocks in the Reservoir. Introductory sections review the characteristics of the Reservoir and the gill netting & biological sampling methods used. Results are then presented regarding species caught, their relative abundance & distribution among netting sites, fish length & weight, condition factor, and age class distributions. Species captured include lake whitefish, rainbow trout, bull trout, kokanee, suckers, and peamouth chub. The potential for a commercial fishery is discussed along with the changes in species composition & distribution between 1974-75 and 1988. Finally, implications of the findings for fishery management are examined.