Kokanee Limit Increased on Lake Pend Oreille

Anglers fishing Lake Pend Oreille will be allowed to harvest more kokanee as a result of a vote by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to increase the limit there. Effective immediately, anglers will be allowed to keep 15 kokanee per day on Lake Pend Oreille. The Commission approved the increase at its quarterly meeting in Lewiston on May 15. The kokanee population in the north Idaho lake has made a remarkable recovery. Fourteen years ago Fish and Game was forced to close the kokanee fishery when it became evident that lake trout were decimating the population, which had already declined due to other factors. In 2006 Fish and Game began an aggressive program to suppress lake trout numbers using angler harvest and commercial netting gear. Last year the thirteen year kokanee closure ended when the Commission approved a conservative limit of six kokanee on Lake Pend Oreille. During the first year of the fishery, the number of kokanee returning to their spawning grounds experienced a four-fold increase. Biologists expect the kokanee population in Lake Pend Oreille will continue to thrive, providing ample opportunity to Idaho anglers.