A beaver sits in water, surrounded by brush and weeds

Prepared by Steve Matthews and C.J. Bull
Ministry of Environment
Fish and Wildlife Program

From the Introduction:
"Kokanee (Oncorhychus nerka) are the major sportfish in Okanagan Lake. In 1980, over 200,000 were caught during 268,000 hours of fishing...

Although kokanee generally spawn in streams, approximately one-half the population in Okanagan Lake spawn along the shoreline. Spawning takes place in mid-October and fry emerge the following spring. During this period the lake level is usually lowered to minimize flood damage during spring runoff. Consequently, there are often heavy egg losses.

This problem has prompted a re-examination of the water level control plan and this, in turn, has generated the need to know more about shore spawning kokanee. This study involved two major components: pertinent information found in available literature concerned with shore spawning kokanee; and date obtained from 1980/81 field investigations. All of this information was combined in order to obtain a complete overview of shore spawning kokanee in Okanagan Lake. Major areas of study were: numbers and distribution of shore spawners; hatching and emergence dates; mortaities at various stages of development; and effect of water level fluctuations."

See the Report [PDF].

Our Website Uses Cookies

The OCCP website uses cookies. Some are essential for the operation of the site. Others (i.e. tracking cookies) help us improve our site and its user experience.

It's your choice whether to allow cookies or not. Please note, however, that rejecting cookies, may disable some site functionality.