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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Higher Lake Level Ok’d To Help Fish

Bonner County has won another battle in the war to revive the dwindling kokanee population of Lake Pend Oreille.

The Northwest Power Planning Council agreed earlier this month to raise the winter lake level during the next three years to help the fish.

“What it amounts to is a three-year experiment to study what is causing the kokanee decline and if more water will help,” said Hobart Jenkins, spokesman for the Kokanee Recovery Task Force.

Kokanee, a landlocked salmon, have been on decline in the lake for more than 30 years. Shoreline counts of fish that are spawning went from 39,400 in 1953 to 1,900 in 1992.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game believe the 11-foot winter drawdown of Lake Pend Oreille is the culprit.

The drawdown not only takes away prime gravel spawning beds for the fish, but leaves some eggs lying on dry land when the water level is dropped.

“It’s taken us a long time to get this far, and now we will hopefully get answers to some very big questions,” Jenkins said.

The higher winter level is slated to begin this fall. The lake would be kept at an elevation of 2,054 feet above sea level, three feet higher than normal. For the next two years, the lake would be held at 2,055 and 2,056, respectively.

“This will not only help the kokanee, it will tremendously benefit the community aesthetically and for access to the lake,” said Jonathan Coe, executive director of the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.

When the lake is drawn down, shoreline dwellers have hundreds of feet of mudflats instead of waterfront and boat launches in most bays are unusable.

The Bonneville Power Administration has fought the higher level, saying it will hinder power generation and increase electrical bills for consumers.

Although the planning council has finally approved the experiment, Jenkins said funding for the study has been made a very low priority.

“That’s the down side,” Jenkins said. “The council said if the money isn’t there, there will be no experiment.”

Fish and Game officials, who will do the research along with two University of Idaho scientist, are still figuring what the three-year study will cost. The preliminary estimate is about $350,000.

Biologist have predicted in the next two years the number of kokanee spawning will be very low. If there aren’t enough fish to reproduce, the population could crash.

“That’s what happened at Priest Lake and Flathead Lake and we don’t want it to happen here because the fish will never recover,” Jenkins said.

, DataTimes