Electric shock will be used against unwanted trout

Crews trying to rid Yellowstone Lake of non-native lake trout will use electrical shocks to kill fish eggs and embryos next year. The technique will be used off Carrington Island, a major spawning area for the trout. The shock will come from a mat covering small areas of the gravel lake bottom. Dave Sweet of the East Yellowstone chapter of Trout Unlimited says the equipment is being designed specifically for the effort. Big lake trout eat the native cutthroat trout. Trout Unlimited says about 4 million cutthroats once lived in the lake and its tributaries, but the number was down to 400,000 in 2009. Lake trout were first found in Yellowstone Lake in 1994. Crews removed about 300,000 lake trout by netting this year.