$850,000 invested in projects that benefit B.C.'s freshwater recreational fisheries

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This year, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (the Society) is providing approximately $850,000 to support 48 projects that benefit freshwater fisheries – both wild and stocked – around the province.

Since 2015, the Society has worked with fisheries biologists from the provincial government to identify and fund projects that develop, enhance and protect recreational fisheries in small lakes, large lakes and rivers. Funds to support the work comes from freshwater angling licence fees.

To date, the Society has approved over $9 million and more than 500 projects. Projects cover a range of areas including angler access and infrastructure improvement, habitat restoration and enhancement, fisheries stock assessments and monitoring, guardians on large lakes and rivers, angler effort and satisfaction research, aquatic invasive species programs, and stock recovery.

Funding is based on a proposal review process where joint provincial-Society committees assess and prioritize projects based on the funding’s objectives:

Enhance the fishing experience
Attract and maintain public participation in recreational fishing
Maintain and improve the variety of fishing options available to the public
Maintain and restore healthy wild and enhanced fish stocks to support freshwater fisheries
Seek opportunities to support shared stewardship initiatives
Improve delivery of the freshwater fisheries program

The Kootenay Lake Recovery Initiative addresses declining kokanee populations. Two of the strategies include planting kokanee eggs (left. Image: Traci Jensen), and increasing the number of rainbow and bull trout caught in the lake to reduce kokanee predation (right. Image: Casey Jones).

Projects allocated funding in 2023-24

2023-24 marks the ninth year of the program. A total of 16 small-lakes projects, 14 large-lakes projects and 18 rivers projects were funded and are currently underway.

Some of the projects include:

$30,000 towards the restoration and protection of an important fish bearing tributary to Okanagan Lake and Columbia Basin (Penticton Creek) that flows through the urban core of the City of Penticton.
$20,000 towards a small lakes fertilization program on Vancouver Island to improve the growth of stocked trout and kokanee
$50,000 to improve fishing access on the Elk River, such as developing and improving infrastructure and amenities at priority access points.
$90,000 to address declining kokanee populations in Kootenay Lake through a predator reduction program and other tools identified in the Kootenay Lake Action Plan.
$10,000 to assess burbot populations and exploitation rates in priority Omineca fisheries

Left: Penticton Creek prior to restoration. The stream bed was completely concrete, with no useable fish habitat. Right: Post- restoration. Concrete has been removed and a series of pools and riffles inserted to create a functional stream. Kokanee are actively spawning in the restored areas.

Learn more about the types of projects being funded

Monitoring bull trout in the Skeena region to improve fisheries management
Parsnip watershed Arctic grayling monitoring
Restoring kokanee population in Kootenay Lake
Tracking cutthroat trout movement and mortality in Cowichan Lake
Electroshocking to remove invasive fish

Goldfish_DragonLake — Left: Removal of invasive goldfish from Dragon Lake. Goldfish compete with trout for food and destroy habitat. Dusty Waite. Right: Select lakes on Vancouver Island are part of a fertilization program, which improves growth of stocked trout and kokanee. Rodney Hsu.

Anglers catch kokanee on Beavertail Lake on Vancouver Island. — Left: Removal of invasive goldfish from Dragon Lake. Goldfish compete with trout for food and destroy habitat. Dusty Waite. Right: Select lakes on Vancouver Island are part of a fertilization program, which improves growth of stocked trout and kokanee. Rodney Hsu.

2022- 23 funded projects

To see the complete list of Society-funded projects in 2022-23, explore the links below.

Small Lakes Projects

Large Lakes Projects

Rivers Projects

You can also explore other work undertaken by the Society by navigating to the News page and applying the Conservation and Science & Research filters.

Elk River, British Columbia — Infrastructure and amenities at key access point along the Elk River will be improved and developed, addressing the need for safe and reliable fishing access. Left: Curtis Hall. Right: Larry Halverson.

Author: Staff, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC