The government is paying fishermen $5,000 in cash prizes if they take aim at invasive species – 1.7million are eligible

Eligible waters include those “open to angling on the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem,” per the tournament’s rules.

Fish caught in the mainstem Eel River from Dios Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen, and in the Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to its mouth are also eligible.

Participants are being advised to use the same email address for all of their fish submissions, since catch totals determining the associated prizes will be tallied by participant email address.