03-27-2013, 02:35 PM
McFish -- How do the biologists know? Well, isn't that their job to know?
Fshrmn gave you a pretty simple answer: gill nets. I'd be willing to bet that they have numerous years worth of data from netting and other sampling to be able to see trends in populations at Willard. My suggestion for a more complete answer would be to call the DWR offices and ask to speak to an aquatics biologist that works at Willard. Ask him/her about the population of walleye, and what they see happening.
Another term that could be used to answer your second question is "Anthropomorphism": The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal, or object.
Far too often we like to give human characteristics to animals, then we ask questions based off those human characteristics. Walt Disney did a huge disservice to us all by giving animated fish eyelids, and the ability for animated animals to talk and reason. Now, we all wonder why they don't act like us, as they do in Disney movies.
Here's the thing: fish have little, itty, bitty brains. They are kind of like a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). They are programmed to respond to stimuli. They simply react. They don't think, feel, sympathize, reason, or care. They react to stimulus. So, when days start to get longer and water begins to warm they react by attempting to spawn. They go in search of conditions necessary to spawn (whatever those conditions may be for that species of fish). They carry out the action whether or not it is going to be successful. They simply do it. even sterile fish will go through the motions of spawning!
So, like Fshrmn said -- they do it whether or not it will be successful. In fact, look at the plethora of Utah reservoirs that have rainbow trout in them. How many of those rainbows attempt to spawn year after year after year -- with next to 0% success? They do it whether it is successful or not. It's also why we end up with overpopulations (brook trout, brown trout, WALLEYE) -- because they don't have the programming to logically say "there are too many of us. We should stop". They just do it. Every year. No matter the results, good or bad.
[signature]
Fshrmn gave you a pretty simple answer: gill nets. I'd be willing to bet that they have numerous years worth of data from netting and other sampling to be able to see trends in populations at Willard. My suggestion for a more complete answer would be to call the DWR offices and ask to speak to an aquatics biologist that works at Willard. Ask him/her about the population of walleye, and what they see happening.
Another term that could be used to answer your second question is "Anthropomorphism": The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal, or object.
Far too often we like to give human characteristics to animals, then we ask questions based off those human characteristics. Walt Disney did a huge disservice to us all by giving animated fish eyelids, and the ability for animated animals to talk and reason. Now, we all wonder why they don't act like us, as they do in Disney movies.
Here's the thing: fish have little, itty, bitty brains. They are kind of like a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). They are programmed to respond to stimuli. They simply react. They don't think, feel, sympathize, reason, or care. They react to stimulus. So, when days start to get longer and water begins to warm they react by attempting to spawn. They go in search of conditions necessary to spawn (whatever those conditions may be for that species of fish). They carry out the action whether or not it is going to be successful. They simply do it. even sterile fish will go through the motions of spawning!
So, like Fshrmn said -- they do it whether or not it will be successful. In fact, look at the plethora of Utah reservoirs that have rainbow trout in them. How many of those rainbows attempt to spawn year after year after year -- with next to 0% success? They do it whether it is successful or not. It's also why we end up with overpopulations (brook trout, brown trout, WALLEYE) -- because they don't have the programming to logically say "there are too many of us. We should stop". They just do it. Every year. No matter the results, good or bad.
[signature]