In the 1960s we caught thousands of kokanee at the mouth of Kokanee Creek. They were there to eat the fry coming down the creek from the spawn the previous fall.
If the water was low the kokanee fry landed in deep water in the lake and the kokanee and whitefish were there to eat them.
The level of the lake for fry survival was critical but Kootenay Lake levels have never been managed for the fish. Shore spawners, a new development, is very dependent on water levels in the West Arm. Is fry predation part of the problem at Meadow Creek?
There are serious questions about B.C. government management of Kootenay Lake but one thing is for sure: Kootenay Lake will never truly recover until we drain the Duncan Dam.
Dick Murphy
Nelson