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Profile
on....... TIM BRASTRUP
Area Fisheries Supervisor, Brainerd; Division of Fish and Wildlife The busy season(s).... While Tim and his staff are especially busy in the spring, they also have a variety of projects keeping them busy during the summer, fall, and winter months. Spring, however, is especially busy due to the northern pike and walleye spawning runs. Other spring projects that keep the Brainerd Fisheries office busy include electrofishing, in which fish are sampled. Largemouth bass, walleye, and black crappies are measured, and scale samples are taken, which help determine the age and growth rate of the fish. During the summer, Tim and the staff conduct lake and stream surveys, which involve sampling the fish using gill nets, trap nets, and seines. Chemical sampling is also conducted during these surveys and the water is tested for quality parameters. The fall brings walleye harvest from the rearing ponds and lake stocking. During the winter months Tim and his staff prepare reports for the surveys that were completed during the summer months. They also prepare budget requests, project proposals, and attend training. However they don't spend all winter indoors at their desks. They are in the field to monitor ice fishing, perform aerial surveys of ice houses and, more importantly, monitor levels of dissolved oxygen in the shallow lakes. Year round activities include evaluating private and public sector development project sites and making recommendations to limit the environmental impact of the project. Working with lake property associations and sportsman's clubs is also a year round activity. " We try to make everyone part of the process. The associations and clubs provide a lot of support when given the opportunity to participate. We also have the opportunity to educate the public through these groups. We often allow people to come along to observe lake surveys and other projects. For example, we may contact people who live on a specific lake and let them know that they can come along to observe a survey being conducted on that lake." |