PORTLAND – The Bonneville Power Administration and its partners report that in 2020, for the 23rd consecutive season, the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program met its annual goal to remove 10% to 20% of pikeminnow, 9 inches or longer, in the Columbia and Snake rivers that prey on juvenile salmon and steelhead.
Fish removed: 103,114
Registered anglers: 2,450
Avg. catch: 6.5 fish/day
Total paid: $839,461
When the season opened May 11, registered anglers again had the opportunity to make $5 to $8 for each northern pikeminnow at least 9 inches long, and specially tagged northern pikeminnow were worth $500. Program managers temporarily increased the reward to a flat $10 per fish late in the season
However, the program will resume its pre-pandemic bounties when the northern pikeminnow season kicks off again in spring of 2021.
