Fireside Environmental Speaker Series
The GGACC Conservation Committee is pleased to invite you to our Virtual speaker event:
"Building a Better Fish Trap"
A presentation by Katherine Butts
Thursday, August 6th at 6 pm PT
Hosted by Stephen Starke
Katherine will join us from Prince Rupert British Columbia to discuss the Legendary Skeena River fishery and the efforts of the Lax Kw’alaams first Nation Tribe to help save the Salmon and Steelhead that thrive there. The Tribe is working with a passive “Fish Trap” to reduce the impact of accidental bycatch that is common in more mechanical commercial fishing techniques, gill netting and seine netting. Katherine will discuss the success of this low tech solution in other fisheries and what it could mean to the river that is home to some of the largest Steelhead and Salmon in the world.
REGISTRATION: Members can register on this page by clicking on the “register” button. Registrants will receive an email prior to the talk with a Zoom link to join.
This presentation is for GGACC members exclusively. If you would like to invite a fishing buddy, they can sign up to become a member through our website at GGACC.org for access to this event in addition to all of our programs and events throughout the year.
For more information about this event or for suggestions about future conservation speakers, please contact Stephen Starke, Chairperson, GGACC Fireside Environmental Speaker Series, at sstarke@comcast.net
If you are having difficulty in connecting to this Zoom meeting using the link emailed out to the registrants shortly before the event, email Sarah Trenschel at sarahtrenschel@gmail.com
About Katherine Butts:
Katherine obtained an Honors Bachelor of Science Degree in Ecology and Evolution specializing in fish behavior and sexual selection. She went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Biology with a focus on Biochemistry and Exercise Physiology focused on the effect of exhaustive exercise in fish.
She has over 13 years of experience in fish research relating to fish biology, fish mating practices and displays, sexual selection and the effect of predation on parental care, fish biochemistry as it relates to fishing stress including exhaustive exercise, electrofishing, angling and sport fishing.
In 2017, Katherine moved to Prince Rupert to work with Lax Kw’alaams First Nation as their Senior Fisheries Biologist. She currently manages 30 research projects involving marine species including a variety of invertebrates, fish and marine mammals. The Lower Skeena Fish Trap Project is the first of its kind in Canada and will integrate Indigenous harvest technology, research and commercial activities in a sustainable manner.