$61,000 For Catching…

It was a lucrative summer for one fisher who made $61,000 from the Columbia and Snake rivers.

Engaging in a program funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, they and hundreds of other anglers in Oregon and Washington earned a bounty on each northern pikeminnow they caught, which are native species that prey on salmon and steelhead smolts.

The anonymous top earner removed 7,185 of them, seven of which were tagged, while his wife caught an additional 1,700- demonstrating just how profitable fishing for these can be.

In 2021, Anglers were paid according to the Columbia River BPA regulations; $5 for their first 25 fish over 9 inches, $6 each for 26-200, and $8 for every fish after that.

Tagged fish rewarded participants with an additional $500.

For the 2022 season, running from May 1 through September, bounties have been increased.

Fishers will now earn $6 for their first 25 fish that exceed 9 inches, then received $8 per fish up to 200, and receive a payment of $10 for any pikeminnow exceeding the limit.

Furthermore, the reward for tagged fish remains at its original cost of $500 each.

Additionally, anglers simply need to register daily at state run check stations along the Columbia and Snake rivers in order to qualify for these payment bonuses, as well as receiving an initial $10 without limit on number of submitted catches.

The Northern Pikeminnow Program runs from the mouth of the Columbia and Snake Rivers up to Priest Rapids Dam above the Tri-Cities area.

In 2021, BPA distributed $700,000 in prizes to anglers during its five-month period – a decrease from 2020’s $840,000. 89,600 pikeminnows were registered in comparison to 103,100 the previous year. Eric Winther of WDFW commented that river conditions at the Yakima River near Tri-Cities weren’t favorable for fishing in May and June due to high levels of debris.

Sources: Fieldstream