DNR selectively targets shad at Lake Waveland

The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife plans to selectively cull gizzard shad at Lake Waveland in Montgomery County. The goal is to reduce the gizzard shad population enough to increase largemouth bass populations and produce better panfish in the 358-acre lake. Around Oct. 1, the lake will begin to be lowered to 2 to 4 feet below its current level. Once the water level is reduced, draining will cease and a low dose of rotenone will be applied. Rotenone application is slated for Oct. 27, weather permitting. The lake will be closed to fishing and boating that day. Sometimes used as an insecticide, rotenone is toxic to fish and has been used in fisheries management for decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of rotenone formulations to control and sample fish populations. It affects shad at doses too low to drastically affect other species. Boat owners may want to remove watercraft before or shortly after the drawdown begins. It is anticipated that the lake level will be down at least 2 feet by mid-October.