Shore Spawning Kokanee: Post Habitat Restoration Monitoring

Populations of shore spawning kokanee in Kootenay Lake have been declining in recent years, which local experts suggest is attributed to hydroelectric flood control measures that dewater redds in early spring (Martin 1979; Andrusak and Northcote 1989; Irvine, Andrusak and Andrusak 2012). On September 9th and 10th, 2020, gravel was deposited on the foreshore of Kootenay Lake at McDonalds Landing Regional Park with guidance from provincial representatives and local specialists. A layer of ideally sized gravel for kokanee spawning now sits beneath the water surface in an area with upwelling groundwater. Our expectations are that the new gravel will entice spawners, encouraging them to lay eggs at a lower elevation, reducing the risk of redds created in the fall being dewatered in the spring. Monitoring efforts are currently underway to measure spawning activity and success to determine whether habitat enhancements can reduce the amount of dewatered kokanee redds.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Dataset Collection Organization Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society
Dataset Steward Email cbwaterhub@livinglakescanada.ca
Dataset Citation Friends of Kootenay Lake. (2021). Shore Spawning Kokanee: Post Habitat Restoration Monitoring [Data set]. Columbia Basin Water Hub. https://doi.org/10.48511/QJQ3-3B56
Dataset Upload Year 2021
Dataset Earliest Record Start Date 2020-11-06
Dataset Latest Record End Date 2021-02-26
Dataset Funding Description Funding for this monitoring program is generously provided by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Regional District of Central Kootenay, Columbia Basin Trust, Public Conservation Assistance Fund, and Fortis BC.
Dataset Data Disclaimer No warranty or guarantee exists that the information is accurate, complete, current, or suitable for any purpose. The individual user must confirm the accuracy of the data and whether it will be appropriate for their purpose.
Other Data Sources N/A
Brief description of dataset location McDonalds Landing Regional Park, Kootenay Lake, BC
Dataset Type Lake
Dataset Keywords Community Research Grade,Community-based monitoring,Fish,Water temperature,Lake,Habitat,People and Perspectives
Dataset Latitude 49.579622
Dataset Longitude -117.217317
Dataset DOI 10.48511/QJQ3-3B56
Station URL