Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Nebraska
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The Nebraska Public Power District is a publicly-owned utility and a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska. Its chartered service territory is vast, including all or parts of 86 of Nebraska's 93 counties. The utility works through partnerships to help serve more than an estimated 600,000 Nebraskans with retail and wholesale electric power and energy-related services. The Nebraska Public Power District owns and manages Sutherland Reservoir, a 3,000-surface-acre reservoir located three miles south of the Interstate 80 Exit at Sutherland, Nebraska, as part of its hydropower system, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission oversees most of the recreation areas at this reservoir. The purpose of this study is to estimate angler use and catch at Sutherland Reservoir, Nebraska, from April through October 2021 (intended 2020, but delayed due to pandemic). Specifically, we obtained monthly estimates of angler pressure, catch, and harvest. This information will allow the Nebraska Public Power District to evaluate angler use and influence of the fishery at Sutherland Reservoir, and is a required component of its hydropower operating license.