Future Fisheries Restoration
Beginning in 1995, the Montana legislature passed the Future Fisheries Improvement Program,
which increased the dollars allocated to fish habitat restoration and expanded
the program to include habitat improvements in lakes or reservoirs. In 1999,
the legislature expanded the program and earmarked a portion of the funding
allocated to the program specifically for projects that enhance habitat for
bull or cutthroat trout, with an emphasis on reclaiming mining related impacts.
Projects include:
- riparian fencing and off-stream water development to improve habitat streamside areas;
- re-vegetation of stream banks and streamside areas to stabilize banks and cool the water;
- installation of screening devices on irrigation diversions to prevent the entrainment of fish in the ditches;
- removal of barriers or installation of fish ladders around barriers to facilitate the upstream movement of spawning fishes;
- construction of barriers in selected locations to prevent non-native trout from competing with or
hybridizing with genetically pure native cutthroat populations;
- reconstruction of stream channels that have been modified from their natural form as a result of land use practices or channelization;
- water conservation measures that result in a greater quantity of water left in-stream; and
- installation of habitat structures in lakes and reservoirs that provide cover or enhance spawning.
Future Fisheries applications
are considered every year in January and July. An independent review panel recommends Future Fisheries projects to fund to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission. Call 406-444-2449 for information or click here for details.
- Future Fisheries Restoration on the Tongue River in Eastern Montana [Full Story]
- Future Fisheries Restoration in the Big Hole [Full Story]
- Future Fisheries Fact Sheet [Full Story]
- Future Fisheries Fact Sheet by Numbers [Full Story]
The articles in this issue highlight the wide diversity of tremendous fisheries we manage in the state; from hatchery supported walleye and trout fisheries in a variety of reservoirs to our internationally recognized wild trout fisheries.
[Newsletter]
With the fishing year nearing August, it should come as no surprise that grasshoppers are starting to be talked about by anglers across Montana. [Full Story]
Hopper time has arrived in Montana With the fishing year nearing August, it should come as no surprise that grasshoppers are starting to be talked about by anglers across Montana. Of all the fly patterns, grasshoppers are some of the most fun to fish. They’re big. They’re easy to see as they float with the current. (July 25)
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commissioners today closed about a 12-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River between Carter's Bridge Fishing Access Site, south of Livingston, and the Highway 89 Bridge Fishing Access Site, north of Livingston, to all recreational activity due to flood conditions on the river. "The situation is hazardous due to high waters and the possible collapse of the 9th Street Island Bridge in Livingston," said Larry Peterman, FWP chief of operations. (June 20)
More than four decades ago, fisheries biologist Pat Marcuson started keeping meticulous notes on the natural lakes that dot the major mountain ranges of south central Montana. Fish species. Maximum, minimum and average fish size and weight. Stocking details. Availability of firewood and camp sites. Elevation and distance from trails. Trail length and incline. And detailed observations by biologists about every inlet, outlet, lakebed and spawning opportunity.
(June 10)
Patti Sowka, director of the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, got the call on a recent Tuesday afternoon. A facility maintenance person found an ailing loon wrapped in fishing line near the Big Sandy fishing access site at Hauser Lake. Gerry Ryan, a Montana Wildlife Center volunteer, picked up the loon and delivered it to Swoka, who quickly sent it to a local vet for treatment and an X-ray. The loon had ingested two fishhooks and did not survive. (May 02)
The red validation decal obtained for motorboats, sailboats, or personal watercraft will expire on Feb. 29. The green boat validation decal needed before launching boats this spring is valid through Feb. 28, 2011.
(February 07)
Ornamental ponds are popular ways to "decorate" in the outdoors, even in Montana. (August 10)
