“Bull trout spawning populations increased by more than 100 per cent between 2015 and 2017, with approximately 3,500 bull trout spawners in 2017 alone,” the news release states.” The health of the Kootenay Lake Gerrard rainbow trout and bull trout depend on the health of kokanee populations. Modest removals of bull trout will help recover kokanee stocks, which will benefit both rainbow trout and bull trout in the long term.”

The 2016 Kootenay Lake Action Plan was developed by an advisory team with representatives from the ministry, Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., the BC Wildlife Federation and First Nations. The advisory team recommended additional stocking and predator management in May 2018.