BOISE, Idaho — Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he might just be helping Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG).
IDFG is asking anglers to come out and catch walleye fish, also known as yellow pike, as the fish are spreading in Idaho waters at an alarming rate.
For the past few years, IDFG has asked anglers to harvest any walleye they catch in Idaho salmon and steelheads rivers.
In 2023, anglers caught 19 walleye in the Snake and Salmon rivers. In 2024, so far, IDFG has gotten 60 verified reports of walleye that were caught.
The agency has made it clear in the past that walleye themselves aren't "bad" fish, they just don't mix with the native fish species in Idaho rivers and threaten salmon and steelhead survival.
For anglers interested catching walleye, IDFG asks that anglers report the size and location of the walleye, to better understand how this species is spreading, IDFG said.
"This increase in walleye abundance is concerning to fisheries manager because an additional non-native predator adds to the list of factors that influence salmon and steelhead survival. Recently, Idaho Fish and Game biologists joined with leaders from several other state, federal, and tribal entities to discuss how to manage walleye where salmon and steelhead occur. There are many challenges when considering walleye management strategies, but the goal of this group is to determine how big of a problem these fish are going to be, especially with other predators in the system, and to reduce walleye predation on salmon and steelhead populations where possible," IDFG said in a news release.
There are only three locations for walleye fishing: Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, Onieda Reservoir and Oakley Reservoir. Fish and Game asks that any walleye caught outside of these waters be killed and reported to Fish and Game.
IDFG said the best tool to fight walleye is anglers. Thousands of anglers hit the Snake and Salmon rivers every year. IDFG said if every walleye caught by anglers is removed from the waters, it could slow the expansion of the walleye fish.
Anyone who catches a walleye in rivers is asked by IDFG to kill it, take a photo and contact Idaho Fish and Game Biologist Marika Dobos at the Lewiston Regional Office by email at marika.dobos@idfg.idaho.gov, or call (208) 750-4228.