While many of us have lamented the changes to California's ecosystems brought on by development, it is also true that many people enjoy fishing opportunities brought about by many of these same changes. The recreational fishing industry now generates $3.7 billion annually in California, and fishing for non-native, introduced species in human-made reservoirs accounts for a large part of that income.
      Through non-native species have been introduced for sportfishing, the Fish and Game Commission maintains the policy that natural reproduction and rearing of trout be encouraged to the greatest extent possible. Fisheries managers, however, recognized long ago  that natural reproduction in California for maintaining fishable populations of trout in reservoirs was difficult. Department of Fish and Game (DFG) management efforts have tested different strains of trout and even landlocked forms of Pacific and Atlantic salmon for creating naturally spawned, sustainable fisheries. Some promising strategies have been identified, but sometimes the DFG lacked the funds needed to fully implement those strategies.
      One salmonid species that has been at the top of angler lists for providing great opportunities and excellent eating qualities is the kokanee. Kokanee are the non-anadromous or freshwater form of sockeye salmon. Sometimes called little redfish or blueback, they are native to lakes of the northwestern states, including Alaska, as well as British Columbia and Japan. Since the original introduction into California in 1941, most kokanee eggs have been obtained from egg taking operations conducted by DFG hatchery personnel at several waters in California. Small lots of eggs are occasionally imported from out-of-state sources. Kokanee eggs are incubated and hatched at DFG hatcheries and stocked as fingerling fish in the early spring. They feed on plankton and small fish and grow for up to three years in the lake and reservoir before reaching maturity in the fall of the year. Once mature, they spawn or attempt to spawn and then die like other Pacific salmon. Unfortunately, success of most of California's kokanee fisheries depended upon the DFG's ability to fund egg taking activities, and rear and stock the juvenile fish.
      In 1992, a small group of interested individuals desiring to improve California's kokanee fisheries created an organization called Project Kokanee. The group wanted to make a real improvement in fishing opportunities by working with and helping responsible state agencies. At about the same time, the DFG was finishing its 1995 Strategic Plan. DFG identified two themes that kept step with its principles of encouraging stewardship and partnership. One of those themes - Cooperative Approaches to Resource Stewardship and Use - suggested that "the DFG cannot be effective in providing for the continued existence and use of fish and wildlife resources without the help of the public..." and "we must take advantage of volunteer assistance..." Opportunity was knocking loudly at the door of California fisheries management.
      Prior to 1995, Project Kokanee members provided volunteer help for egg-taking activities and assisted in other needed volunteer work at several of the DFG's hatcheries. Taking advantage of the interests of the Project Kokanee volunteers and the support of the DFG's administration and the Strategic Plan, individuals in the Inland Fisheries Division worked to craft a partnership with the goal