Northern Pikeminnow eat millions of salmon and steelhead juveniles each year in the Columbia and Snake river systems. The goal of the program is not to eliminate Northern Pikeminnow, a native species, but rather to reduce the number of large fish. Reducing the number of these larger predators can greatly increase the salmon and steelhead juveniles making it out to sea.
The Bonneville Power Administration funds the program to partially mitigate for the impact of the federal Columbia River hydroelectric system on salmon. Results indicate the program is successful. Since the Sport-Reward Fishery was implemented in 1991, predation of juvenile salmon by Northern Pikeminnow has been reduced up to 40% through the removal of nearly 6 million Northern Pikeminnow.
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission administers the overall Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program. The program is run in cooperation with Northwest fish management agencies and tribes.
You can help save salmon and get paid to do it by going fishing! The Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program, funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, pays anglers for each Northern Pikeminnow they catch that is nine inches or longer.
Rewards range from $6 to $10 per fish and the more fish an angler catches, the more they’re worth. The first 25 in one season are worth $6 each; after 25, they are worth $8 each; and after 200 they are worth $10 each. Verified external tags are worth $500 and verified PIT tag only fish are worth $200 each!
In 2025, the top twenty anglers caught an average of 4,133 fish per angler and averaged reward payments of $41,736 each for the 5-month season. The highest paid angler earned $159,310.
The 2026 season for the sport-reward fishery starts at select stations on May 1, 2026. The season ends September 30, 2026.
Fishing takes place within the mainstem Columbia River from the estuary to Priest Rapids Dam in eastern Washington and the Snake River from its confluence with the Columbia up to Hells Canyon Dam. This area represents the migration corridor of juvenile salmon.
Mail in all reward vouchers within 30 days of the end of each year’s fishery. To obtain payment, vouchers must be received no later than Nov. 15 of each year’s fishery. Any issues preventing payment (missing information, voiding of voucher for program violations, etc.) must be resolved by November 15, 2026, or the voucher becomes null and void.
We are pleased to see the Northern Pikeminnow program continues to have a high level of angler support since good public participation has always been the key component to achieving our salmon enhancement goal.
The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program welcomes participants of all kinds. Below are links to ADA features, amenities, and maps:
Outdoor GPS Logo, 2024. Credit to KPTV. Owin Hays, the host of Outdoor GPS, presents an update on how things are going in the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program. The latest
We only send out important program updates, such as station changes, season updates, upcoming events, etc.
