GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Coming up on Prairie Sportsman, Bret Amundson is out with Mark and Jason Markkula in the Park Rapids area, netting and smoking tullibees, then checks out how non-native cattails are choking waterfowl habitats and how duck hunters can prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. “Tullibees and Cattails” will air on Pioneer Public Television Sunday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.; on Lakeland Public TV Saturday, May 4 at 2:30 p.m.; on KSMQ Thursday, May 16 at 7:30 pm; and on TPT Life Saturday, June 8 at 12:30 p.m.
Netting tullibee is a traditional way of fishing in Minnesota with fewer than 1,000 participants each year. Instead of rods, reels and tackle, anglers use nets and saws in specially designated lakes to target the fish. Tullibees (also known as cisco or herring) are in the trout/salmon family and are generally forage for more popular game species such as walleye, muskie, northern or lake trout. They’re particularly sensitive to water temperatures and found only in deep lakes with cold water. After netting tullibees, the Markullas show how to prepare them for a smoker, which is the most common way to cook the small white fish.
In the next segment, wildlife biologist Sara Vacek explains how non-native narrow leaf cattails and hybrids are aggressively overtaking native vegetation in wetland basins. Exotic cattails can grow faster and in deeper waters than native broadleaf cattails, and because dead plant matter doesn’t decay very quickly, a litter layer builds up on wetlands that shades out native plants. Sara is with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s Morris Wetland Management District, which is working to control invasive cattails through targeted burning, grazing and herbicides.
In the final segment, Lac qui Parle SWCD specialist Rhyan Schicker demonstrates how duck hunters can stop the spread of aquatic invasive species by carefully checking and cleaning their boats before moving from one body of water to another.
About Prairie Sportsman
Prairie Sportsman celebrates our love of the outdoors – to hunt, fish and enjoy recreation provided by our vast resources of lakes, rivers, trails and grasslands – while promoting environmental stewardship.
Prairie Sportsman’s team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/assistant producer; Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer and Max Grabow, assistant videographer/editor. The 2019 season is made possible by funding from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, SafeBasements of Minnesota, Diamond Willow, Live Wide Open and Western Minnesota Prairie Waters.
About Pioneer Public Television
Established in 1966, Pioneer Public TV is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit www.pioneer.org.
