With Okanagan Lake Kokanee spawner numbers on the rise in recent years another limited kokanee trial fishery will be held this summer, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson announced.

The Kokanee fishery in Okanagan Lake was closed from 1995 to 2005 to conserve dwindling stocks. Since then, Kokanee numbers have recovered due to a combination of the fishery closure and habitat restoration and protection. Previous trial re-openings of the fishery occurred in 2006 to 2010 and harvest rates during the trial fisheries were determined to be sustainable.

The Kokanee trial fishery is open from June 1, 2011 to Oct. 31, 2011. The daily quota will be five Kokanee per licensed angler.

As part of ongoing rainbow trout stock assessment, the Mabel Lake tag program will continue to reward lucky anglers who catch a rainbow trout with a green tag. They will receive $100 for their efforts. Tagged fish provide vital information about rainbow trout to fishery biologists, such as harvest rates.

Some fish have yellow or orange tags that carry no reward, or a surgically implanted acoustic transmitter that is visible when the fish is harvested and cleaned. All tags provide valuable information and we encourage you to send them in with the transmitters. The fish tagging program is funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund and Freshwater Fisheries Society of British Columbia. So far this season nine tags have been reported and seven of those tags were $100 reward tags.

If you catch a tagged fish, please return the tag and transmitter to:

Dr. Paul Askey

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

102 Industrial Place, Penticton, BC V2A 7C8

250 490-8200

Contact:

Cheekwan Ho

Media Relations

Government Communications and Public Engagement

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

250 356-5261

Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect