Meeting Set To Discuss Lake Pend Oreille Fishery

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has scheduled a "State of the Lake Meeting" to discuss the status of the Lake Pend Oreille fishery. The meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, February 21, at the Sandpoint Community Center. The meeting will provide an update of the fishery recovery efforts that have been under way since 2000 and to answer questions from the public. All persons interested in the status of fish populations in the lake are encouraged to attend. Fish and Game regional fishery manager Jim Fredericks will coordinate the meeting. Lake trout expert Dr. Mike Hansen of the University of Wisconsin will be present. Information presented will include a summary of the 2008 netting and angler incentive predator removal efforts, winter lake level management, current lake trout population estimates and models, and data on lake trout movements and spawning locations. Updates on the status of kokanee and bull trout populations will be provided, as well as information on protecting the lake from invasive species. Time will be provided for a question and answer session. Most area anglers are aware that the populations of Gerrard rainbow and bull trout that made Pend Oreille a world famous fishery depend on an abundant prey-base of kokanee. Lake level management has been used successfully to substantially improve kokanee fry survival over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, an increasing population of lake trout has led to an overabundance of predators and low kokanee survival, creating an imbalance in the predator-prey ratio. The predator problem was identified in 2000. Since then, fishery biologists and anglers have generally come to agree that restoring the rainbow and bull trout fishery will require a significant and immediate reduction in the number of predators, combined with long-term suppression of the lake trout population. Since 2006, an Angler Incentive Program has encouraged anglers to target rainbow and lake trout by paying a reward. The effort was significantly enhanced with the implementation of commercial netting equipment. The program and netting efforts have been funded largely by Avista and the Bonneville Power Administration. In many ways, 2008 was the most encouraging year in the recovery effort to date. Anglers removed just over 13,000 lake trout and nearly 4,700 rainbow trout. Commercial netters removed an additional 11,761 lake trout. The total harvested since the effort began in 2006 is up to 63,597. This level of lake trout harvest is expected to reduce lake trout reproduction and ultimately lead to collapse of the lake trout population, enabling kokanee numbers to rebound and once again provide the forage base for healthy rainbow and bull trout populations. In addition to these efforts to reduce predator impacts to kokanee in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho Department of Fish and Game has been working with our regional partners to improve kokanee spawning conditions and egg-to-fry survival. A plan has been agreed to and implemented that recommends a winter elevation intended to balance the benefits of Lake Pend Oreille water. Panhandle Regional Supervisor Charles Corsi said, "We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the anglers, Avista, the Lakes Commission, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Bonneville Power Administration in developing this plan and moving recovery forward." Individuals with disabilities may request meeting accommodations by contacting Jim Fredericks at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game directly at 208 769-1414 or through the Idaho Relay Service at 1 800 377 2529 (TDD).