Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s annual kokanee salmon giveaways are back on the calendar in late October and November at reservoirs in Durango and Dolores.
Anyone with a 2024 Colorado fishing license is eligible to receive fish and should bring their own cooler to giveaways, which are scheduled for 3 p.m. Oct. 24 and 31 at Joe Rowell Park in Dolores, and on Nov. 8, 15 and 22 at Lake Nighthorse in Durango.
CPW is advising that salmon-seekers call the Durango area wildlife office at 247-0855 in advance of scheduled giveaways because of the sometimes unpredictable supply of fish.
Last year, the agency added a giveaway in Dolores because of an unexpected influx of kokanee, while the first giveaway in Durango was so slim that it drove down attendance at later events, when the supply was larger.
CPW Senior Aquatic Biologist Jim White said he has heard the kokanee in McPhee Reservoir are large this year, and he expects a small run there. White anticipates a relatively average run in Lake Nighthorse.
“The kokanee are really large out there (in McPhee), and that typically means the density is really low,” White said. “There's just not a lot of fish in the reservoir. Those fish grow large because there's very little competition for food.”
Each year, CPW staff and volunteers spawn the fish by hand. Kokanee salmon are a landlocked variety of salmon that are almost genetically identical to the sockeye that reside in the northern Pacific Ocean. Like their ocean-dwelling brethren, kokanee naturally die after they spawn.
Rather than let the meat go to waste, CPW distributes the spawned fish to the public each fall. The fertilized kokanee eggs are taken to hatcheries to produce the fingerling fish that will be released into 24 bodies of water across the state next spring.
Last year, CPW collected an estimated 8.3 million kokanee eggs from eight spawning locations.
Kokanee, which generally range from 10 inches to 13 inches in size, are generally not considered as flavorful as sockeye, but nonetheless make for tasty fare.
“Being able to donate that meat out and get it to folks who would like to receive some of those fish is just kind of a good win-win so that none of that's going to waste,” said CPW spokesman John Livingston.
Up to four youths may receive kokanee if they are accompanied by a license-holding adult. Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribal members may show a tribal identification card, Brunot fishing license or a state fishing license to receive fish. The number of fish given to each attendee will depend on the availability, demand and size of the fish.
CPW recommends not only a phone call to ensure supply, but suggests that attendees arrive early. More information on the agency’s kokanee giveaways can be found on CPW’s website.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
