Northern Pike Rewards Program extended

 

Last updated 12/20/2017 at 10:24am

Any size pike head is worth $10 through the tribes' rewards program.

The Colville Tribes' Fish and Wildlife department has extended its Northern Pike Rewards Program through the end of 2018, according to a recent press release.

CTFW has paid out over $10,000 to anglers since the program began on May 1.

The program was started as a way to reduce pike numbers in Lake Roosevelt and requires anglers to turn in pike heads in specified locations for $10 a head, big or small, as long as it is in good enough condition.

Since May, anglers have turned in 1,095 pike heads, and six anglers have reached the maximum payout of $590 for 2017.

"We want to remind anglers that we want them to be a part of the solution to protect the Lake Roosevelt ecosystem," said Holly McLellan, fisheries biologist for CTFW. "The 2017 program has been successful, with anglers turning in a significant number of fish."

"Northern pike are a non-native invasive fish species that have the potential to decimate fish communities through excessive predation," McLellan said. "We are concerned about the impacts pike are having on native fish in Lake Roosevelt, primarily redband trout, kokanee, white sturgeon and burbot. If the northern pike are allowed to expand downstream into the mid and lower Columbia River, they have the potential to compromise recovery efforts for ESA listed salmon species."

Anglers can go to http://www.cct-fnw.com/news/ to get the full program details. Anglers who would like to share photos of pike they have caught can email them to holly.mclellan@colvilletribes.com.

 

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