Long-Term Fisheries Stewardship in the Kootenay Basin

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Clients: BC Hydro, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Ministry of Forests, Ktunaxa Nation Council

Since 2008, Poisson Consulting has contributed to many fisheries studies across the Kootenay and Columbia basins in southeastern British Columbia. These studies combine acoustic telemetry, mark-recapture studies (PIT and reward tags), snorkel surveys, and boat electrofishing to estimate population abundance, natural and fishing mortality, growth, and spatial distribution for key species including Bull Trout, Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Mountain Whitefish, and Walleye.

Using Bayesian hierarchical models, Poisson Consulting provides annual estimates that directly inform fishing regulations and hydro dam operating decisions. The Lower Columbia River Fish Population Indexing program, for example, evaluates multi-species responses to discharge regimes at BC Hydro’s HLK and Brilliant dams, while the Kootenay Lake exploitation study uses acoustic receiver arrays to partition total mortality between harvest and natural causes.

Fisheries | Poisson Consulting

Long-Term Fisheries Stewardship in the Kootenay Basin