Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
LAKE ROOSEVELT - The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a "rapid response" plan to take extraordinary measures to kill northern pike found in waterways like Lake Roosevelt.
Released last week, the plan would allow state officials and tribes to draw down reservoirs, using Rotenone to poison the fish, netting and seining, quarantining waterways and more after declaring a northern pike emergency.
State Aquatic Invasive Species Policy Coordinator Justin Bush called the plan critical in containing the species.
According to the agency, northern pike have made their way into Washington rivers after being stocked in Montana waterways in the 1950s and the Couer d'Alene watershed in the 1970s. Since then, the northern pike population has grown downstream in the Pend Oreille, Spokane and Columbia Rivers, upstream of Grand Coulee Dam.
Pike can live more than 20 years, grow to several feet in length and weigh upwards of 45 pounds. They eat smaller fish.
"It is likely that northern pike will eventually expand into waters throughout the entire state," Eastern Washington Fish Program Manager Chris Donley said.
The Colville Tribe already has an established bounty program for pike caught in Lake Roosevelt.
Fishermen can get paid $10 for every pike head turned in at drop-off sites in Kettle Falls, Hunters, Fort Spokane and Inchelium.
The state's plan can be downloaded from https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02490 and clicking on the download link.
Comments can be submitted by emailing [email protected], or by mailing them to Lisa Wood, WDFW Habitat Program, Protection Division, P.O. Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504.
Comments are due by March 19.
Roger Harnack is the co-owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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