B.C. offers anglers gift-card reward for help in trout research project

Dec 15, 2016 | 9:37 AM

NANAIMO, B.C. — One hundred cutthroat trout on Comox Lake have been tagged as part of a B.C. government research project to assess the fish population’s health.

The tags have a four-digit identification number and phone number for the local fish and wildlife office and anglers who land one will be eligible for gift cards to pay for new fishing gear.

The Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations says the two-year project will help evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulations and prevent trout from being over-fished.

It says Comox Lake is one of the lakes most used by anglers on Vancouver Island and there have been public concerns about declining catch rates and fish size.