Pikeminnow Reward Fishing Season Extended

Anglers on the Columbia and Snake rivers get two more weeks to make money from their pikeminnow catches. Federal and state agencies have extended the Northern Pikeminnow Management Program's sport reward season by two weeks because of angler interest, available program funds and good weather. "We still have funding left for the season; anglers appear to be interested and motivated in getting out there to try their luck; and we have been having terrific weather," said Russell Porter, program coordinator for Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. "Those factors contributed to the extension of the season by two weeks to October 15." The effort to reduce the pikeminnow population helps increase salmon survival during their seaward migration because the larger pikeminnow thrive by devouring juvenile salmon. Since 1990, the sport reward fishing effort has removed nearly 2.7 million northern pikeminnow, cutting juvenile salmon losses to predators by 25 percent in recent years. Anglers caught 212,372 of these salmon-eating predators in the Columbia and Snake rivers between the season's opening day May 1 and a status check September 24. The program pays $4 to $8 for each of the pikeminnow delivered to designated receiving stations. But, if the fish are tagged, anglers stand to become $500 richer. A total of 1,331 pikeminnow were tagged this year, and, as of September 25, about 192 have been retrieved. The tagged fish play an important part in the sport reward program, helping officials keep track of the overall success in reducing the predatory pikeminnow population. The 2006 sport reward program, which opened in May upstream to Hells Canyon Dam on the Snake River in Idaho, has been extended to October 15 at 11 receiving stations. Information about which stations will remain open, how to fish for northern pikeminnow and how to qualify for the sport reward program is available from the Washington Sport Reward Hot Line at 1-800-858-9015 or at the Website at http://www.pikeminnow.org.