A program incentivizing anglers to catch and remove predatory Northern Pikeminnow from the Snake and Columbia Rivers netted fishermen $1.16 million this year.
According to the Bonneville Power Administration, the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program saw the removal of 146,000 of the fish that prey on juvenile endangered salmon and steelhead as they make their way downstream toward the Pacific Ocean.
For nearly 30 years the BPA’s program has paid fishing enthusiasts to remove pikeminnow from the rivers, giving anglers $5 to $8 per fish longer than 9 inches, while specially tagged fish were each worth $500.
The 2019 northern pikeminnow sport reward season wrapped up September 30th, and numbers show BPA continues to meet its annual goal to remove 10 to 20 percent of the predators.
The program has removed more than 5 million northern pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake rivers since 1990, reducing predation on young salmon and steelhead by up to 40 percent. (BPA)
