<p>Caroline Hawkins, 16, of Sandpoint holds eight kokanee salmon caught in September. The successful restoration program allowed Fish and Game to reopen kokanee fishing in 2013, and increase the bag limit from six to 15 in 2014.</p>
November 8, 2015
Stories this photo appears in:
Kokanee on a comeback
Idaho Fish and Game sees success managing Lake Pend Oreille fishery
Idaho’s biggest lake presented Idaho Fish and Game with one of its biggest fisheries challenges. How do you manage diverse fish populations in a lake that covers 134 square miles? How do you target a certain fish species in a lake so deep it is used to test submarines? How do you eliminate a bunch of big fish and replace them with small ones, and make anglers happy about it? Add to the mix an endangered species, a tiny crustacean and a world-class fishery at stake, and you have a management challenge akin to tight-rope walking on roller skates.