An unidentified Pacific Northwest fisherman netted $107,800 for catching 10,755 northern pikeminnows as part of a government-sponsored program to cull the fish, which prey on young salmon and steelhead trout.

The next-highest angler on the sport fishing list for the program will receive $99,110 for 9,786 pikeminnows caught, according to program data updated on Friday. Neither of the top anglers were named on the fishing program’s website.

Northern pikeminnows are not an invasive species, but the native predator has an unwanted impact on salmon and steelhead populations if left unchecked because it eats the young prey fish as they return to the ocean.

“The goal of the program is not to eliminate pikeminnow, but rather to reduce the average size and curtail the number of larger older fish. Reducing the number of these native predators can greatly help the salmon and steelhead juveniles making it out to sea,” the Pacific State Marines Fisheries Commission, an interstate compact that organizes the annual cull, said on their website.

The northern pikeminnow fishing season ran from May 1 through Sept. 30. Fish had to be 9 inches or longer alive or in fresh condition to be eligible for the bounties.

The first 25 fish caught netted an angler $6 per fish, after which each fish started being worth $8. After a fisherman catches 200, each fish brought him or her $10, with certain specially tagged specimens being worth anywhere between $200 to $500, per the program’s website.

In total, 156,505 northern pikeminnows were reeled in by 11,954 fishermen this year, according to the most recent program data. The total amount of money paid out was not specified.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.