Bpa pikeminnow bounty program

The program operates each year from May 1 to Sept. Dec 12, And some fish have an even bigger payout. Northern pikeminnow are voracious eaters, consuming millions of young salmon and steelhead each year.

Since , anglers paid through the program have removed nearly 5 million pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake rivers. 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. If the early opener proves productive, additional stations may be considered for early opening in , said Eric Winther, project lead with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Winther noted there have been several changes to station locations and operating hours for the season. In addition to the eighteen full-time stations that operate during the five-month season, six new satellite stations will offer anglers additional pikeminnow harvest opportunities in areas with good fishing during short windows of time. Translation limitations and disclaimer. E-mail Address:. Pikeminnow eat juvenile salmon and steelhead before they make it to the ocean. To the untrained eye, a pikeminnow looks a lot like a small salmon.

It can live for a decade or more and reach a couple of feet in length. Lots of them. That makes them enemy number one for the Bonneville Power Administration , which spends millions of dollars trying to help young salmon reach the sea. The BPA has decided pikeminnow pose a big threat, enough to justify putting a bounty on their slimy little heads.

This year, a handful of new temporary stations are being added to encourage more people to take part. They even develop their own secret bait recipes featuring fish guts, salmon eggs and other messy stuff. Ness has tried cheese balls, chicken liver and Mormon crickets, but admits he lacks the finesse to feel a pikeminnow as it picks at his bait.

He finds it difficult to know when to quickly pull the line and set the hook. Anglers who are serious about making money on the pikeminnow program tend not to share their secret recipes or favorite fishing holes.