(PORTLAND, OR) – Help save salmon and steelhead and make
money, too.
Wednesday, May 1, marks the opening of this year’s Northern
Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery in the Columbia and Snake rivers.
The program pays registered anglers $5 to $8 for each
pikeminnow that is at least nine inches long. The more fish an angler catches,
the more each pikeminnow is worth. And some fish have an even bigger payout.
State fish and wildlife biologists have released up to 1,000 specially tagged
northern pikeminnow into the Columbia and Snake rivers, each worth $500. Last
year the top fisherman in the program earned more than $71,000 in just five
months of fishing.
Northern pikeminnow are voracious eaters, consuming millions
of young salmon and steelhead each year. Since 1990, anglers paid through the
program have removed nearly 5 million pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake
rivers. The program has reduced predation from pikeminnow on young salmon and
steelhead by approximately 40% since it began.
The 2019 Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery begins Wednesday
and is scheduled to run through Sept. 30.
Northern pikeminnow experts say The Dalles is one of the
best places to fish early in the season. Last season that station registered
22,464 pikeminnow, one of the highest registration rates among the 19 stations
on the rivers.
The fishery website, www.pikeminnow.org, has details on how
to register for the program and applicable state fishing regulations. Anglers
will also find resources on the site to help boost their fishing game,
including maps, how-to videos and free fishing clinics.
The program is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration
and administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in
cooperation with the Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife.
For more information about the 2019 Pikeminnow Sport Reward
Fishery visit www.pikeminnow.org, or call 800-858-9015.
