Fish and Wildlife Branch (FWB) conducts angler surveys on multiple lakes and rivers throughout the Yukon during the open water season. Interviews are conducted by surveyors stationed at specified locations (i.e. boat launch) on randomly selected days throughout the summer and occasionally winter months. Summer angler surveys generally run from mid-May till beginning of September and winter surveys run from December till April. To supplement our current and future data, FWB is proposing using trail cameras in addition to in-person interviews. Angler surveys are designed to cover approximately 20-40% of total fishing days throughout a survey period. During analysis, the data is extrapolated to provide an estimate of total angler hours and fish caught/harvested. The data collected from the cameras will supplement our in-person data and better verify our current method of survey design/analysis. The initiative will take place on lakes/rivers that are suitable for capturing total anglers/boats launching during the survey hours (i.e. bottleneck access points and optimal field of view). The cameras will be programmed to take pictures of the access point to capture images of anglers launching boats or potentially fishing from shore.
