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stickfisher

stickfisher

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May 11, 2010
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Does WDFW put out a list of kokanee plants like they do for trout? I heard the lake I fish might not be getting any fish this year.
 
It shouldnt matter for fishing this comming year but down the road it would, you can go to WDFW site and click on the fishing header scroll down to fishing reports, stocking reports, fish counts click on that then scroll down to fish plants and stocking reports click on 2010 statewide hatchery trout stocking plan for WA lakes and streams then on the right hand side of that page click on the download pdf file you should find it there, for spring 2011 plants do it all over again at that time. It would help if I new what lake you were looking at most of the kokanee are planted as fry unless you have net pens in your lake, most of the harvested fish are 3 and 4 year olds so you would be looking at 2007 and 2008 brood planted in 2008 and 2009. Did that help?
 
I see the lake got 64K in 2007, 20K in 2008, 15K in 2009, and 0 in 2010. I had a great year fishing there this summer. It looks like future years I may not be as successful.
 
Stickfisher that sure looks like a phase out or it just gets planted with extra fry they might have you might give the Dept. a call or call the Whatcom hatchery.
 
Last edited:
Smalma
03-30-2010, 10:58 PM
This is a huge issue for those of us that enjoy kokanee fishing here in Washington.

The Whatcom kokanee were the source for the vast majority of kokanee in this State (and much of the country for that matter). The Whatcom kokanee are a native fish to the lake. If I recall correctly the hatchery on Brinian Creek (south end of the lake) has been in operation for approximately a century, first as county facility and then with the creation of the Department of Game (1930s) a State facility. Millions of eggs are taken at that hatchery every year with many shipped for use in other lakes.

The tribal plans for the Middle Fork Nooksack is to introduce spring Chinook (not coho) above the diverson dam. Middle Fork Nooksack water is divert to lake Whatcom for domestic and industrial use (since early 1960s).

For decades there has been no history of dieseases of concern (virus etc) with the Whatcom fish. The concern is that with anadromous fish getting above the diversion dam the salmon could introduce diseases to the water system. In the past only a relative small number of adult kokanee (a 100 or so) had to be tested annually for diseases of concern since there has been no history of problems. The rub is that with the new potential of diseases policies require that all the brood fish be tested. However as a practical matter that is no possible; either physically or economically. It is often the case 100,000 or more adults will be spawned at the hatchery in a single year and there has been as many as 20,000 spawned in a single day.

Without that testing fry from Whatcom can not be used in other watersheds. That would mean for many of Washington Lakes future kokanee fishing will limited to whatever natural production is now occurring. In spite of extensive searches no satisfactory replacement for Whatcom has been found. There as some isolate lakes that can be used but the kokanee populations are too small to begin to provide the kinds of numbers needed for the state wide program.

Tight lines
 
kokanee fry

I did some diging today on the kokanee stocked fry.this is what i found out. talked to Mike C at teds sport center in Lynwood.the kokanee fry will come from lake Roosevelt now.
 
One Possible Solution ?

Maybe it is time to consider the "kokanee Power" solution.
California & Oregon have had the solution for several years and it seems to
work for them. Their program has outstripped anything this state has produced
for us. I am sure there are people within that organization that could help us
in getting things off the ground if the fishermen of this state would show the
will.
The same officials in this state who are content to do nothing for this
resource will probably be against it for some reason.

Bill Dewey

For individuals who are unfamiliar with Kokanee Power check out their
web site and read who they are and what methods they used to establish
their program.
 
So is the Whatcom Hatchery to be shut down? Or will the fry from Roosevelt be used for other lakes in its basin? I still haven't heard back from WDFW. At least I'll have a year or two of good fishing left.
 
I have herd no news about Whatcom hatchery closing down the information about anadromous fish possibly being introduced into the water source is about 7 years old that I know of. If you look at the WDFW web site Whatcom hatchery spawned 110,000 kokanee adults and took 12,040,704 eggs in the fall of 2010 so I think you are safe for now.
 
talk to Tim Peone Spokane Tribal Hatchery Programs manager.
they run the whole koke show on Lk Roosevelt. great success.
[email protected]
http://www.spokanetribe.com/dnr-hatchery

the tribes are the only ones with any large fish steelhead fisheries/hatcheries/stream programs here on the west side.

the Okanogan and other tribes have developed and brought back an outstanding run of sockeyes to the upper Okanogan
http://www.cbbulletin.com/395571.aspx
over a half million returned fish. caught them until both arms worn out.

we should turn the whole Wa. St. fisheries programs over to the tribes for management.
 

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