Kootenay Lake kokanee recovery plan could expand

The province is expanding a plan to increase critically low populations of kokanee salmon in Kootenay Lake.

Provincial fish biologist Jeff Burrows says kokanee are a "profoundly important" sport fishery in southeastern B.C., and its recovery is essential.

Last fall, biologists counted 18,000 spawning kokanee in the main body of Kootenay Lake and its tributaries, the lowest number since counts began in 1964.

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"The highest count is two million," Burrows told Radio West host Audrey McKinnon. "So two million to 18,000 — or one percent of the maximum count."

The province says it has seen early success from a recovery plan started in the fall and is proposing the plan's expansion.

They say more than 90 per cent of the half a million eggs planted into the Meadow Creek spawning channel in the fall have now emerged as fry and entered Kootenay Lake.

Adding to those numbers, in the spring, biologists released over 500,000 kokanee fry into Kootenay Lake.

"The modelling showed that probably all we needed to do was supplement kokanee last fall and this fall," Burrows said.

The province also says the expanded plan calls for "enhanced monitoring, aggressive restocking, ongoing angling closures and an expansion of the nutrient restoration program."

A moratorium on kokanee fishing on Kootenay Lake that began last April will continue.

Burrows estimated it could take five to six years for the kokanee to recover.

The plan is being presented for public feedback on Thursday in Balfour.

With files form CBC Radio One's Radio West

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled: With population at 1% of maximum count, province wants to expand kokanee recovery in Kootenay Lake