| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
One obstacle in gaining support from fisheries managers for the re-introduction of sockeye salmon to Okanagan Lake is a concern that provision of fish passage facilities will allow exotic (i.e., introduced) fish species to colonize Okanagan Lake from the south. The concern is that colonization by these exotic species would further disrupt the natural ecosystem already subject to impacts of introduced species such as mysid shrimp. The exotic fish species of concern are already present in Osoyoos Lake, and many have also colonized Vaseaux Lake. However, exactly which exotics are present in the Okanagan Basin and the extent of their distribution is unclear. Therefore, if the species of interest are already present in Okanagan Lake, the concern of colonization resulting from providing sockeye passage into Okanagan Lake would be unfounded. Until this uncertainty is resolved, fisheries managers will continue to raise the colonization concern as an obstacle to realization of the Okanagan Nation's objective of restoring sockeye salmon to their historic range in the Okanagan. aquatic ecology |
