Clear Lake Kokanee?

[jd39]

Not all lakes are created equal, makes sense to me they wont all respond equally to changing climate conditions. Stevens seems to have fared well through this downturn in local kokanee lakes.
Unfortunately part of the reply from the wdfw was a statement to the effect they have no budget to research/study what’s going on in these lakes. Pointing to climate change & the recent hot summers did come across as a bit of a cop out knowing no real research has been done. I read it as “we have an incomplete understanding at best but the weather culprit is a logical contributing factor so we lean on it”.
Predation, especially on compromised fry/fingerlings, probably contributes as well as a myriad of other things. Hydrology, chemistry, development, pollution....list is probably endless.
From the reply the plan is to keep stocking and hope for the best. I was taught “hope is not a strategy or plan” but if you’re ignorant and broke as the wdfw claims to be here guess its the only option.
My fear is if this continues for several more years when do they stop stocking? Someone will do the math.

[jd39]

I’m not on the bash the wdfw bandwagon, don’t want my post above taken that way. Re-reading it, it could. Do believe the rank and file do the best they can to provide fishing opportunity to us with the tools available to them. Not sure why I feel the need to clarify but I do and don’t want to take this thread that direction. Thanks.

[Sideburns]

Yup, not all lakes are the same. A Few degrees of climate change could certainly affect our smaller western lakes ecosystems differently than an ecosystem that has evolved in a warmer or colder climate. Also rather than climate change it is more likely imo recent weather patterns that have led up to problems. Off the top of my head... Lake Wilderness, Meridian, Clear, Sawyer etc... are all fairly similar lakes, not too deep and surrounded with by fertilized lawns. All have had rapid Kokanee declines. Lake wilderness, Deep Lake (KING) and Langlois all had major Kokanee declines and wdfw did quit stocking them. When Ive questioned wdfw about fish stocking, Ive gotten similar responses... repeatedly, lack of funding. I get the feeling the wdfw is "sandbagging"..... Need more $$$ or no fish..... (they even cut the triploid program this year) I feel like I may have spent more time and effort looking into the Kokanee around here than the wdfw has....probably not, just seems like they don't care. Not a wdfw basher either..... I'm usually defending them in conversation, but the correspondence and lack of communication i've experienced lately is making me more pessimistic.

[Toni]

Birthday kokanee