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.