The province is closing angling on Windy Lake and Little Windy Lake in an effort to prevent the spread of yellow perch.

The closure begins on July 9 and biologists believe the fish were deliberately released by someone who wanted to create a local perch sports-fishery. The fish are not native to the lake.

Photo Credit: BC GovLocation of the Windy Lakes.

According to the province,  the fish are very adaptive, have few native predators and reproduce quickly. Once perch are introduced into a lake, they out-compete native species for food and habitat.

Windy Lake is 32 kilometres west of Kelowna, at the headwaters of the Nicola River drainage. Little Windy Lake is immediately upstream of Windy Lake. The closure will be in effect until further notice.

Photo Credit: BC GovExample of a yellow perch.

In large lakes, yellow perch can reach lengths of 30 cm and a female perch can deposit up to 15,000 eggs at a time, compared to an average trout which lays up to 110 eggs at a time.

The Province closed 11 lakes in the Thompson region between 2006 and 2012 due to environmental threats posed by illegally introduced invasive fish species.