Kootenay freshwater fish management

The Kootenay  Region encompasses the southeast corner of British Columbia and consists of the Columbia Mountains (Purcell, Selkirk and Monashees) and the Rocky Mountains. Noted fish species in the region include Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout and Gerrard Rainbow Trout. Fisheries staff are located in offices in Cranbrook and Nelson.

On this page:

• Primary responsibilities for the Regional Fisheries
• Classified Waters of the Kootenay Region
• Kootenay Regional News
• Kootenay Regional Reports
• Kootenay Lake Bulletins and Reports

Primary responsibilities for the Regional Fisheries

Primary responsibilities for the Regional Fisheries staff include:

• Freshwater fisheries management in regional lakes and streams, conservation, lake stocking, angling regulations, and classified waters
• Cooperative fisheries management with government agencies, First Nations and NGOs
• Specific Fisheries Project
• Review & Approval of scientific fish collection and live fish possession and transportation permits
• Collect and provide scientific fisheries information, data and support for First Nations treaty negotiation tables and other user groups

Classified Waters of the Kootenay Region

• 2015 Kootenay Region Angling Management Plan (PDF, 700Kb)
• Kootenay Region Classified Waters map (PDF, 382Kb)
• Classified Waters Relinquishment of Angler Days Form (PDF, 790Kb)
• Kootenay Region Classified Waters Angling Licence Booking System (PDF, 200Kb)

Kootenay Regional News

White Sturgeon Sampling on Kootenay Lake information poster (PDF, 2.6Mb)

Kootenay Lake Rainbow Trout and Bull Trout "Spaghetti Tag" Reward (PDF, 163Kb)

Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine Articles (Note: these links leave the Provincial Government web and take the viewer directly to Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine managed web pages)

• Koogopogo: Super-sized Sturgeon (an encounter with Big Bertha, one of the largest white sturgeon in the Kootenay River system)
• When the burbot bloomed  (ice fishing for burbot on Lake Windermere)

Kootenay Regional Reports

Note: Additional reports can be accessed through the Cross-Linked information Resources (CLIR) Tool

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Kootenay White Sturgeon

Kootenay White Sturgeon in British Columbia 2018 and 2019 Summary Report (PDF. 1.8Mb)

Post release evaluation of White Sturgeon hatchery population genetics in Kootenay (PDF, 1.1Mb)

Kootenai River Resident Fish Mitigation: White Sturgeon, Burbot, Native Salmonid Monitoring and Evaluation (PDF, 7.0Mb) Note: Idaho Fish and Wildlife report that incorporates data collected by BC fisheries staff.

 

Lower Kootenay Burbot

Lower Kootenay Burbot summary: Moyie Lake and Kootenay Lake/River 2017-18 (PDF, 3.65Mb)

Lower Kootenay Burbot summary: Moyie Lake and Kootenay Lake/River 2016-17 (PDF, 2.7Mb)

Kooteani River/Kootenay Lake Burbot Conservation Strategy (PDF, 1.94Mb)

Survival and Dispersal of Sonic-tagged, Hatchery-Reared Burbot released into the Kootenay River (PDF, 526Kb)

Kootenai River Resident Fish Mitigation: White Sturgeon, Burbot, Native Salmonid Monitoring and Evaluation (PDF, 7.0Mb)
Note: Idaho Fish and Wildlife report that incorporates data collected by BC fisheries staff.

Use of Moyie Lake Burbot for conservation aquaculture: on ice methods (PDF, 709Kb)

Population Abundance Methods:

• 2018 Analysis of telemetry data from Burbot on Moyie Lake (PDF, 3.28Mb)
• 2018 Analysis of Burbot Mark-Recapture Dataset (PDF, 1.1Mb)
• 2007 Moyie Lake Burbot Population Assessment (PDF, 2.54Mb)
• 2007 East Kootenay Burbot Population Assessment (PDF, 1.26Mb)

 

Westslope Cutthroat Trout

Evaluation of current Westslope Cutthroat trout hybridization levels in the Upper Kootenay Drainage (PDF, 950Kb)

 

Gerrard Rainbow Trout

 

Daily Count of Gerrard Rainbow Trout (2023)

Date	Count	Date	Count
April 1	No Count	May 1	13
April 2	No Count	May 2	20
April 3	0	May 3	40
April 4	0	May 4	56
April 5	0	May 5	80
April 6	0	May 6	No Count
April 7	0	May 7	100
April 8	0	May 8	117
April 9	0	May 9	128
April 10	0	May 10	184
April 11	0	May 11	166
April 12	0	May 12	201
April 13	0	May 13	255
April 14	0	May 14	266
April 15	0	May 15	268
April 16	0	May 16	308
April 17	0	May 17	286
April 18	0	May 18	277
April 19	0	May 19	261
April 20	0	May 20	205
April 21	0	May 21	173
April 22	0	May 22	No Count poor weather
April 23	0	May 23	No Count poor weather
April 24	0	May 24	52
April 25	0	May 25	62
April 26	0	May 26	47
April 27	0	May 27	40
April 28	1	May 28	29
April 29	4	May 29	12
April 30	5	May 30	0 end of counts
		May 31

 

Kootenay Lake Bulletins and Reports