Fishing for Bullfrogs (2020)

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From The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife's Facebook Post (August 19, 2020): American bullfrogs are not native to Oregon. They were brought in originally to control bugs and as a food source. They quickly outcompeted native amphibians, and they're known to eat our native Western pond and painted turtle hatchlings. Today we're taking you fly fishing for bullfrogs, and then we'll show you our favorite way to fry them up. You can help lower the number of American bullfrogs in your local ponds, lakes and waterways by gigging, fishing, spearing or hand collecting them, and it may help give our native amphibians and reptiles a fighting chance.

 
 
 
 
 
 

American Bullfrogs as Invasive Species: A Review of the Introduction, Subsequent Problems, Management Options, and Future Directions (2010)

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American Bullfrogs as Invasive Species: A Review of the Introduction, Subsequent Problems, Management Options, and Future Directions

Nathan P. Snow and Gary Witmer
USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado

ABSTRACT: Native to the eastern United States, American bullfrogs have been introduced throughout the western U.S. and to several other countries and islands around the world. Bullfrogs are well adapted for many of the permanent water sources that occur within the U.S., and once introduced, they typically become dominant. Because of their large size and voracious appetite, bullfrogs outcompete and prey upon many indigenous species. They are hypothesized to be cause significant negative impacts, which may contribute to the endangerment and extinction of some sensitive species. There are few, if any, effective and efficient control methods to manage invasive bullfrogs. Current methods such as hand or net capture, shooting, and gigging can be labor intensive and often fail to reduce bullfrog numbers. Draining wetland habitats and broadcasting toxicants have severe negative effects on non-target species. New management options, such as locally-sprayed toxicants and multiple-capture traps, could be useful for reducing populations of invasive bullfrogs. However, researchers should make certain that non-target species are not affected by these management techniques.