Great Kokanee Escape Challenges

10 Apr Great Kokanee Escape Challenges

Posted at 15:26h in News by Raine

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Station 1: The Hatch – Water Levels Matter

Challenge: Dams controlled by the IKLJC have been opened to make way for spring freshet, but now the lake levels are lower than they were in the fall’s spawning season! Kokanee eggs laid in the sand and emerging fry are stranded on the now dry shorelines!

Message:
Kokanee eggs need their specific breeding habitat to remain underwater.

Key points:

Fall spawning: Kokanee lay eggs along the shoreline in shallow gravel.

Spring change: Dam releases lower lake levels after spawning.

Impact: Eggs and newly emerged fry are left stranded on dry shorelines.

What you can do? Give community feedback to the (IKLJC) International Kootenay Lake Joint Commission, attend info sessions to show you care, and support FoKLSS efforts to care for shore spawning Kokanee.

Shoreline Spawning Kokanee redd (nest) dewatering is being mitigated one in every three years by drawing down Kootenay Lake to 1742 feet between mid-September and mid-October during the spawning period – this has occurred in 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2021.

More details:

It’s easy to forget that Kootenay Lake acts as a reservoir, and is managed for many reasons, including power generation, navigation, and flood control.

This species of salmon is genetically distinct to this area, they are a landlocked species that spawn on the rocky shores of the West Arm. They require habitat where there is groundwater infiltration and where tributaries deposit an abundance of pea-sized gravel. This shoreline habitat is where they make their nests or redds, that are usually 0.5-2.0 meters below the water surface. Kokanee spawns here in the fall by burying their eggs in the gravel. These eggs then develop into fry that emerges in the spring (late March).

Controlling lake level fluctuations is one way to encourage Kokanee to spawn lower, but these efforts are often complicated. Significant co-ordination by hydroelectric companies is required, and operations are dependent on environmental factors and have to comply with water elevations established by the International Joint Commission. Another management strategy people hope to explore is to encourage Shore-spawning Kokanee to spawn below low water by supplying them with the ideal substrate (gravel) for them to build redds in at lower elevations. This method has been tested by Friends of Kootenay Lake at McDonald’s Landing in 6 mile, and appears to be successful!

Station 2: Shoreline Development Obstacle

Challenge: Someone has built a dock over your eggs

Message:
Along developed shorelines, young kokanee salmon run into obstacles like docks and rock walls that force them into deeper, more dangerous water. This course shows the challenges they face trying to safely travel along the shoreline.

Key Points:

Construction impacts: Docks, marinas, and shoreline development can disturb natural habitats.

Barriers to movement: Hard structures like stacked rocks break up the shoreline, forcing young fish into deeper, riskier water.

Pollution risks: Materials like Styrofoam from docks can break apart and pollute the water, harming fish and their food sources

What you can do? Keep your lakefront and shoreline natural! Don’t pile up rocks, pick up garbage and keep docs eco friendly and low impact.

More details:

Construction Impacts
Shoreline development, including docks, marinas, and other construction, can change the natural environment that kokanee salmon depend on. These projects often remove vegetation, shade, and shallow-water habitat that young fish use for shelter and feeding. They can also alter the natural shoreline substrate, replacing gravel with sand or fine materials from construction. These finer particles can smother kokanee eggs and reduce their chances of survival. Increased boat traffic and human activity can also disturb fish during important stages of their life cycle.

Barriers to Movement
Structures such as groynes (stacked rocks or wood placed perpendicular to the shoreline) and retaining walls, can interrupt the natural flow of the shoreline. For young kokanee fry these features act like obstacles that block easy movement along the shore. Instead of staying in safer, shallow areas, they are pushed into deeper water where predators are more common and survival is more difficult. Additionally, these structures are to control erosion by trapping sand and changing how water moves along the shore. In doing that, they break up the natural, continuous shoreline into sections, and alter the natural sediment patterns, building up sand in some places while washing away gravel in others. Since kokanee lay their eggs in clean gravel, losing or covering that habitat can reduce successful spawning and hatching of eggs.

Pollution Risks
Some shoreline structures are made with materials that can harm the environment over time. For example, Styrofoam used in older docks can break into small pieces and enter the water. These particles can be mistaken for food or release harmful chemicals, affecting fish health and the overall ecosystem that kokanee salmon rely on.

Station 3: Too Warm! Climate Change Sprint

Challenge:
A short “heat zone” where participants must speed up or do 10 jumping jacks/burpies/situps? before continuing. Getting our heart rates up

Message:
Warmer water speeds metabolism but reduces oxygen—fry can’t survive prolonged heat.

Key Points:

Rising heat: Events like the 2021 heat dome are warming lakes and streams.

Fish impact: Warmer water holds less oxygen—stressing kokanee and reducing survival.

Take action: Lower your carbon footprint and support local habitat restoration—plant shoreline vegetation, protect streamside areas, and volunteer with stewardship groups.

What you can do: reduce your carbon footprint, walk to school or work, bike more, choose lower carbon options for heating your home and support local habitat restoration. Plant shoreline vegetation, protect streamside areas, and volunteer with stewardship groups. Join the Nelson Climate Coalition.

Station 4: Predator Dash

Message:
Understanding the food chain and natural survival risks.

Challenge:

You must avoid predators to survive until adulthood and breed the next generation of Kokanee Salmon! Kokanee Salmon have seen their numbers drop from 1.3 million spawning adults in 2012 to 18,000 in 2015. In 2025 their numbers were at 80,000, which is about the same as recorded in 2020 (on the graph).

This drop in population is most likely from predator over-abundance. Efforts to restore kokanee numbers include the Kootenay Lake Angler incentive program (increased catches of rainbow and bull trout), restoring spawning habitat, and releasing collected and fertilized eggs to boost Kokanee numbers.

Key Points:

Predation pressure: Kokanee face natural predators (fish, birds, mammals) throughout their lifecycle.

Low survival rate: High predation means only a small percentage reach spawning age.

Take action: Support habitat protection and monitoring—healthy ecosystems improve cover, balance predator-prey dynamics, and increase survival rates.

What you can do: Ensure Kokanee have the best opportunities to survive and thrive. Support FoKLSS, the Yakan Nukiy – Ktunaxa Nation, the Kokanee Creek Eco Centre and other groups working to support the Kokanee in Kootenay Lake.

More details:

Kokanee salmon face steep survival challenges at every life stage. In natural conditions, only about 7–20% of eggs survive to become fry, and of those, just 20–60% make it to adulthood—with roughly 1–2% ultimately returning to spawn. Local data reflects this variability: egg-to-fry survival has been recorded at 23% at McDonald’s Landing and up to 83% in enhanced systems like meadow creek. Still only about 1% of fry returned to Meadow Creek to spawn. High predation from fish, birds, and mammals plays a major role in these low survival rates.

These pressures have contributed to dramatic population changes in Kokanee salmon, with spawning adults dropping from 1.3 million in 2012 to just 18,000 in 2015, and recovering to around 80,000 by 2025. Ongoing recovery efforts include predator management through angler incentive programs, habitat restoration to improve cover and spawning success, and hatchery-supported egg collection and release. Supporting local stewardship groups and restoration initiatives helps improve survival conditions and rebuild sustainable kokanee populations in Kootenay Lake.