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BPA Renews War on Pikeminnows by Staff The News Tribune, May 8, 2010

This is one sport fishing season that antes up for anglers.

The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program offers cash to anglers for landing pikeminnows, a predator of juvenile salmon and steelhead. The season started May 1 and continues until Sept. 30.

Anglers get paid $4 to $8 for northern pikeminnow 9 inches and larger caught in the lower Columbia (mouth to Priest Rapids Dam) and Snake (mouth to Hells Canyon Dam) rivers. And anglers who catch more are rewarded.

The first 100 are worth $4 each; the next 300 are worth $5 apiece. After 400 fish are caught and turned in, they are worth $8 each. And specially tagged fish are worth $500.

Since 1991, more than 3 million pikeminnow have been removed from the Snake and Columbia rivers through the sport reward program. Last year, anglers caught about 142,000 pikeminnow.

The pikeminnow program has helped cut pikeminnow predation on juvenile salmon by about 40 percent, according to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, which administers the program. It is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration.

Anglers must register each day before they fish, and registration is held at various stations along the Columbia and Snake rivers.

They also may only register at one station each calendar day, and must re-register for each day they plan to fish.

Registration forms are available 24 hours a day, at a registration site from a technician during posted operation hours, or after hours from the station nightbox.

Fish caught while registered at a station must be returned to that station, during its hours of operation, on the date stamped on the registration form.

Anglers may only submit fish for payment at the station where they registered for that day, and those who don't register prior to fishing cannot submit fish for payment.

For more information about the program, call 800-858-9015 or visit www.pikeminnow.org.

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