Pend Oreille Bull Trout Backed

Albeni Falls Dam should be managed to benefit kokanee salmon, a key food source for threatened bull trout, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The suggestion is part of a draft biological opinion for bull trout and Kootenai River white sturgeon that the agency released Thursday.

But the specifics of the plan for bull trout in Lake Pend Oreille may not be fully supported by local fisheries biologists.

The opinion states that the winter lake level should be alternated between 2,051 and 2,055 feet. The alternating lake levels could help cleanse the gravel beds where the fish like to spawn, according to the opinion. Idaho Fish and Game biologists typically have supported the higher winter level, however.

Alternating the level from year to year “doesn’t necessarily benefit kokanee in Lake Pend Oreille,” said Ned Horner, a state fisheries biologist.

The kokanee population is on the verge of collapse and its near demise prompted the state to impose emergency fishing regulations this year to benefit the popular sport fish.

The fish are eaten not only by the threatened bull trout, but also by the abundant lake trout.

Over the last few years, the state has been conducting an experiment to see whether higher winter lake levels benefit the fish. Biologists believe that the optimum lake level for kokanee spawning is 2,055 feet.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River, cooperated with the experiment.

But this year, the corps has announced plans to draw the lake down to 2,051 feet, despite the state’s request to keep the level higher.

As for the Kootenai River white sturgeon, the biological opinion makes two suggestions: certain restrictions on the operation of the Libby Dam and the continued practice of increased flows during June to trigger sturgeon spawning.

The opinion also calls for reconfiguring the dam to allow for even greater spring flows during spawning season. The Libby dam was built in part to control flooding in the Kootenai Valley, however. The document assumes that the corps will maintain the elevation of the river at Bonners Ferry below the 1,764-foot flood stage.

Corps officials contacted Thursday said they had not had time to study the document and could not comment. Spokesmen for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service held a press conference in Portland, but could not be reached by phone. The agency is accepting comments on the document.