Nebraska Game and Parks staff asked anglers to volunteer for a study of live-imaging sonar and gave an update on aquatic invasive species efforts, including zebra mussel surveillance and new aquatic plant treatments.

Jeff Jackson and Tony Baroda said the agency will study whether live-imaging sonar affects fish populations, with a particular concern for panfish. Jackson said Southeast District biologist Jake Werner will lead additional details at a forthcoming district meeting and encouraged anglers to contact Werner to participate. “There’s overall concerns with overexploitation ... our concern is mainly with our panfish species,” Jackson said.

Christopher Star, aquatic invasive species program manager, said Nebraska is “holding the defensive line” against zebra mussels compared with surrounding states. Star said public waters in Nebraska currently known to contain zebra mussels are the Missouri River (including Lewis and Clark Lake) and that the only recent new detection in the past five years was in a private water body (Beaver Lake near Plattsmouth). “In the past 5 years, we have had no new occurrences of zebra mussels in public water bodies,” Star said. He stressed continued compliance with Clean-Drain-Dry practices and prompt reporting of suspicious organisms.

Star also said aquatic vegetation—particularly Eurasian watermilfoil and curlyleaf pondweed—has become the most widespread aquatic invasive problem in Nebraska. The agency said it conducted more than 100 plant surveys in the past five years and performed over 8,000 watercraft inspections in the previous year. Staff described an increase in chemical treatment capacity this year and cited a recent whole-lake treatment using the herbicide ProcellaCOR (described in the presentation) at one of the I-80 lakes as an initial success.

The agency encouraged anglers to report unusual specimens by phone or email, to comply with inspection requirements, and to consider volunteering for the live-imaging sonar study. No formal policy was adopted during the webinar.