How many Lake Billy Chinook kokanee spawned in the Metolius River during fall 2017?
435,000 Kokanee!
This number is an estimate and may be plus or minus 27,000 kokanee. We are 95% confident that the number of kokanee spawning during October 2017 was 408,000 to 462,000.
The chart below shows Metolius River kokanee population estimates from 2009 to 2017. As you see, the 2017 estimate is the largest since our study began in 2009. The Lake Billy Chinook kokanee population varies in abundance from year to year. Over the years, knowing trends in kokanee population abundance can help with fisheries management decisions.
For information on the kokanee forecasting, see this link.
