Shore Spawning Kokanee Restoration & Research Project Year 3
This multi-year project to increase kokanee fry survival focuses on collecting data and restoring habitat for declining shore-spawning kokanee in the West Arm of Kootenay Lake.
In addition, potential sites for future restoration will be identified using on-the-ground monitoring and drone images.
Update: More than 100 m² of kokanee spawning habitat enhanced
To enhance spawning habitat in the West Arm of Kootenay Lake for shore-spawning kokanee, the project provided ideally sized gravel near-shore at a lower elevation to reduce the risk of the redds dewatering.
Other goals achieved included comparing egg-to-fry survival in the new spawning gravel compared to a control area and using novel tools like drone imagery and groundwater measurements to locate other kokanee shore-spawning sites.