the film forum library tutorial contact

Extra Cash Added to Pikeminnow Program by Staff The News Tribune, August 5, 2009

Pikeminnow anglers will have even more incentive to fish for the predators in August.

The Bonneville Power Administration is adding $60,000 in special prize money that will be distributed in weekly drawings from the names of every angler who catches a northern pikeminnow that week, according to BPA.

The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program has helped remove more than 3 million pikeminnow from the Columbia and Snake rivers since 1991 and cut pikeminnow predation on juvenile salmon by 38 percent, according to BPA.

The weekly drawings will award $1,000 prizes to each of 15 anglers who check in pikeminnow during the week and fill out an entry card.

More details, including information about registration stations, how and where to catch pikeminnow and angler clinics, are available by calling (800) 858-9015 or visiting www.pikeminnow.org.

Through the reward program, anglers are paid $4 to $8 for pikeminnow nine inches and larger caught in the lower Columbia (below Priest Rapids Dam) and Snake (as high as Hells Canyon Dam) rivers.

The first 100 fish earn $4 each; the next 300 $5 each and each fish beyond 400 is worth $8 each.

Specially tagged fish are worth $500.

C.A.S.T. for Kids event planned at Potholes

The Columbia Basin Project's 18th Annual C.A.S.T. for Kids event is Aug. 8 at Potholes Reservoir south of Moses Lake.

C.A.S.T., which stands for Catch a Special Thrill, offers children with disabilities an opportunity to enjoy a day of fishing. Participants and volunteers will gather at Potholes State Park, off Highway 262. Washington State Parks manages the adjacent campground and day-use facility which offer easy access to Potholes Reservoir.

The children will range in age from 7-16 years old. Each participant will receive fishing gear, a T-shirt, and a hat.

For information about the Aug. 8 event, contact Margaret Schoneman at Reclamation's Ephrata office (509) 754-0211, or Jan Schrader at Reclamation's Grand Coulee Power Office (509) 633-9584.

In the unlikely event of rain, the C.A.S.T. event will be canceled.