Summary

• Co-ordinated activities and partnerships are critical to the success of burbot conservation measures
• Egg collection is timed to coincide with the Lower Kootenay burbot spawning period in February
• The hatcheries’ success in rearing and releasing burbot has increased burbot populations in the Lower Kootenay watershed

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Teams from the Ktunaxa Nation Council, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (USA), Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and the Province will conduct their annual burbot egg collection program on Moyie Lake during the last two weeks of February 2026.

Staff will catch, tag and release burbot as part of a conservation-stocking program to help recovery of the Lower Kootenay burbot population. The burbot population in Moyie Lake is strong and is genetically similar to Kootenay River stocks. The egg collection from Moyie Lake, along with eggs collected in the Kootenay River in the United States, are reared in hatcheries to various life stages for release in selected areas of the Kootenay river system in Idaho and B.C.

Significance of local burbot species

The Lower Kootenay burbot population once supported First Nations fisheries, as well as recreational fisheries in Montana, Idaho and B.C. During the mid-1990s the population had fewer than 50 adult burbot remaining in the river and were at risk of extirpation.

In 2005, the Ktunaxa Nation Council, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Idaho and the Government of B.C. signed a conservation agreement. The burbot recovery program began as a result of that agreement in the Lower Kootenay in 2009.

Hatchery-released burbot are surviving well in the Lower Kootenay system. However, due to habitat impacts from Libby Dam and floodplain alterations along the Kootenay River, the success of burbot spawning is inconsistent in the river. Moyie Lake egg collections are an essential component that hatcheries supplement until natural spawning is restored.

Active ministry support

The B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship continuously monitors the Moyie Lake burbot population, as it is a popular sport and traditional First Nations’ subsistence fishery, as well as a crucial part of the Lower Kootenay burbot recovery program. Data collected over the duration of this program have confirmed that Moyie Lake has a healthy burbot population, with approximately 10,000 adult burbot.

The eggs collected represent a very low percentage of the estimated annual egg production with only 0.02% to 0.03% of Moyie Lake’s available eggs collected each year. In 2025, teams collected eggs from only 37 females and 160 males to create 32 unique family groups of burbot. All burbot handled in the program are tagged and released alive. This work is done in partnership with and support of the Ktunaxa Nation Council.

The pilot recovery work at Moyie Lake has helped influence and benefit project methods of other burbot restoration initiatives, such as in the Upper Kootenay watershed.

Quick Facts:

• Teams caught, tagged and released a total of 457 burbot in 2025.
• Hatchery-reared burbot were distributed throughout Kootenay Lake, its tributaries, and off-channel habitats of the Kootenay River.
• Since the onset of the program, staff have recaptured fish from these releases, which is an indicator of program success.

Learn More:

To learn more about Kootenay regional fisheries, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/plants-animals-ecosystems/fish/fish-management/region-4-kootenay