Imagine getting paid to go fishing…its a dream come true, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened for this one gentleman in Oregon thanks to a state program that rewarded his hard efforts.
An Oregon angler has earned a grand prize after helping capture and remove thousands of problematic fish throughout the state’s rivers. The Republican-led Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) announced that the fisherman was rewarded with $107,800 in bounties for their participation in the 2023 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program.
This individual caught 10,755 Northern Pikeminnows during the season from May through September – more than any other angler taking part in the program.
The goal of this program is to reduce the average size and curtail number of larger, older fish that have been known to prey on salmon and steelhead smolt juveniles according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is not designed to completely eliminate northern pikeminnows but rather lessen their numbers so that more juvenile salmon can survive in order to make it out to sea.
The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program awards significant cash prizes to hundreds of anglers for removing pikeminnow each summer from May 1st until September 30th. In order for a catch to be considered worthy of a bounty, it must be at least nine inches or longer upon entering a registration station as outlined by PSMFC regulations.
The cash prizes increase based on how many fish an angler brings into one station; rewards start at $6 per fish up until 25 are creeled, then increase up to $10 per fish after 200 are brought in and can reach up to $500 for special tagged ones found during fishing trips. This year’s bounty was equal as 2022’s which was also funded by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
A total amount 156,505 pikeminnows were creeled by 11,954 anglers with Eric Winther reporting best spots near Bonneville Dam along Columbia River being most successful for fishermen participating in this program.
This year’s highest payout awarded during Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program belongs second-highest ever recorded since beginning of this yearly conservation bounty program back in 1991.
