It’s a peak spawning year for kokanee salmon and the The Columbia Operations Fisheries Advisory Committee is asking residents to keep an eye out for shoal-spawning kokanee.
Environmental Program Lead, Maureen Grainger, says these kokanee can be found spawning along the beaches scattered throughout the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. The Committee is looking for help identifying these locations.
It’s been found that the shoal-spawning kokanee are genetically distinct from West Arm tributary-spawning kokanee.
To increase their spawning success, dam operators draw down the lake levels to 531 metres at Queen’s Bay for a one-month period between mid-September and mid-October. In spring, when the kokanee hatch, and when the reservoir is drawn down to make room for spring melt, the expectation is that fewer redds will be stranded. The reservoir will then be allowed to fill again for the winter.
If you see kokanee spawning on the lake shore, you can call the B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch at 250-354-6333. You’re asked to report approximately how many you see, and the precise location where you saw them on the lake.