Field Reports: Chinook salmon caught in the Kettle River in British Columbia

A juvenile chinook salmon was caught in the Kettle River in British Columbia earlier this month, marking the first time since reintroduction efforts began that the species was found in the stream.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced the confirmation of the young Kettle River salmon in a news release late last week. The release said the fish was caught on July 8 near Cascade Falls, which is just south of Christina Lake.

Fisheries officials from the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Spokane Tribe and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe have been reintroducing chinook salmon to the Columbia River drainage upstream of Grand Coulee Dam since 2017. The release said the program has grown to produce about 165,000 juvenile hatchery chinook each year.

Most fish released swim to the ocean shortly thereafter. Some remain in freshwater for an extra year, and others will stay in freshwater until they’re ready to spawn.

The release said anglers have reported catching young chinook on the transboundary Columbia River, including upstream of Keenleyside Dam.

In addition to releasing juvenlie salmon, reintroduction work has included moving and releasing adult chinook that could spawn and produce wild offspring. The release said officials couldn’t confirm whether the chinook caught and photographed last week was a wild fish.

Idaho, Washington wildlife commissions meet this week

The panels that oversee fish and wildlife management in Idaho and Washington are meeting this week.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission is gathering Thursday in Coeur d’Alene with a long and robust agenda, including a presentation on changes to the state’s nonresident hunting tag drawing system.

Later in the day, the panel will hear updates on chronic wasting disease, the state’s wolf population and research on fish in the Kootenai River.

The meeting is at Idaho Fish and Game’s office in Coeur d’Alene at 2885 W. Kathleen Ave. A Zoom link is also available on Fish and Game’s website. It begins at 8 a.m.

On Friday, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet virtually for a short meeting. The panel will discuss translocating spotted owls and later will discuss nominations for chair and vice chair.

K9 conservation officer in Idaho Panhandle retiring

A very good boy who helped the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on all kinds of wildlife cases in the Panhandle over the past decade is calling it quits.

Hudson, a yellow Labrador retriever who has worked alongside Senior Consevation Officer Matt Haag for almost 10 years, is retiring from his duties as a K9 officer, according to an Idaho Fish and Game news release.

Hudson first came to the department as a puppy in December 2015. That January, Haag took Hudson to Indiana, where they went through a K9 training program.

After graduating the program in May 2016, they went to work. The release says Hudson helped track suspects, find lost children and critical evidence that helped lead to arrests in poaching cases.

Fish and Game said in the release that Hudson’s retirement was brought on by unfortunate news. In June, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.