The white sturgeon are landlocked in Montana and live isolated in the Kootenai River. Conservation concerns include reduced spring fl ows, unnatural fl ow fl uctuations and altered thermal regime caused by Libby Dam operation; a suite of post-fertilization early life mortality factors and possible intermittent female stock limitation; and poor habitat conditions in the spawning areas. Conservation strategies include: coordinating more natural fl ow fl uctuations in Libby Dam to enhance natural production; managing non-native species which may prey on young white sturgeon; conserving surrounding terrestrial habitat; and decreasing fi ne sediments found in lake areas.

Pallid sturgeons are found in the Missouri River below Fort Benton and the Yellowstone River below Forsyth. Pallid sturgeons reside in large, strong-current, turbid rivers and their impoundments with sand and gravel bottoms. Conservation concerns include: habitat modifi cations preventing movement to spawning and feeding areas, and altered natural conditions; upstream and nearby land use practices that degrade water quality; and heavy metals and organic compounds affecting reproduction. Conservation strategies include: restoring natural river conditions and protecting minimum instream fl ow reservations; supporting cooperative activities that encourage sustainable land management practices in riparian areas; and working with cooperators and public to identify and reduce point source pollutants.

In Montana, paddlefish are found in the Yellowstone River as far upriver as Forsyth, as well as the Missouri River above and below Fort Peck Dam. Habitat includes slow or quiet waters of large rivers or impoundments. Paddlefi sh spawn on the gravel bars of large rivers during spring high water. Conservation concerns include: loss of spawning habitat (i.e. they need natural, free-fl owing rivers to reproduce effectively); excessive and increasing water depletions for irrigation; and potential introduction of exotic competitors. Conservation strategies include: maintaining instream fl ows and spawning habitat in large rivers; increasing reservoir water retention during times of drought; and improving public awareness of paddlefi sh conservation concerns and impacts of non-native species.

The distribution of shortnose gar within Montana is limited, with documentation primarily in the Missouri River dredge cuts downstream of Fort Peck Dam. Shortnose gars are typically found in large rivers, quiet pools, backwaters, and oxbow lakes. Conservation concerns include: limited information in Montana; backwater habitat fi lled in for agriculture and modifi ed by lack of channel maintenance fl ows; and coldwater release, lack of turbidity and artifi cial hydrograph below Fort Peck Dam on the lower Missouri. Conservation strategies include: considering a management plan for the shortnose gar or including it in another comprehensive taxonomic plan; increasing conservation initiatives for backwater sloughs and channels; and regulating water regimes to be more closely tied to natural water regimes.

Most remaining indigenous populations in Montana inhabit Yellowstone headwater streams, though the Yellowstone River mainstem also supports Yellowstone cutthroat trout. In addition, over 100 lakes now support genetically pure Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Yellowstone cutthroat trout inhabit relatively clear, cold streams, rivers, and lakes. Conservation concerns include: persistence of non-native fi sh; widespread stocking of non-indigenous populations of yellowstone cutthroat trout; susceptibility to whirling disease; and tributary dewatering by unsustainable irrigation practices. Conservation strategies include: continuing harvest management of non-native trout; decreasing genetic homogenization of yellowstone cutthroat trout; increasing funding for studying water disease; and decreasing channels and irrigation development.

Westslope cutthroat trout are found in the Kootenai watershed, the Clark Fork watershed, and the headwaters of the Missouri and Saskatchewan Rivers. Spawning streams tend to be cold and nutrient poor, with gravel substrate in riffl es and pool crests. Conservation concerns include: habitat loss due to poor natural resource use practices, residential development and impacts of forest roads; and increased hybridization with other species. Conservation strategies include: conserving habitat, including better natural resource use practices; continuing to conserve genetically pure populations; and increasing stock populations of genetically pure westslope cutthroat trout.

The Kootenai River drainage population of redband trout is Montana’s only native rainbow trout. Juveniles and adults use pools more than riffl es. Redband trout generally select spawning areas in shallow pool tailout areas with moderate water velocities dominated by gravel substrate. Conservation concerns include: habitat connectivity loss due to construction of culverts, dams, irrigation diversions and other instream barriers that impede movement; range and forest management practices, including use of pesticides; and hybridization. Conservation strategies include: removing or modifying barriers in a manner that restores benefi cial fi sh passage; managing riparian zones and waters where redband trout reside; and raising genetically pure hatchery Columbian Basin redband trout.

Montana populations are found mainly in the Kootenai and Clark Fork (including Bitterroot, Flathead/Swan and Blackfoot systems). Bull trout reside in larger streams and rivers or lakes and spawn in smaller tributary streams. Conservation concerns include: habitat degradation and loss due to land and water management practices; isolation and fragmentation of populations by both structural (e.g. dams) and environmental (e.g. thermal or pollution) barriers; and introduction of non-native fi shes resulting in competition, predation and hybridization threats. Conservation strategies include: restoring degraded habitat and preserving existing healthy habitat; reestablishing connectivity between habitats isolated by constructed barriers; increasing management of non-native fi shes; and preventing illegal introductions.

Montana’s native lake trout populations remain in Waterton Lake, Glenns Lake, Cosley Lake, and St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park and Lower St. Mary Lake in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Other native populations occur in Twin Lake in the Big Hole River drainage and Elk Lake in the Red Rock River drainage. In Montana, native lake trout inhabit a few deep, cold lakes remaining from glacial events. Conservation concerns include: little information on native populations; irregular recruitment; and genetic bottlenecks caused by small size of remaining populations. Conservation strategies include: considering a management plan for the lake trout (native lakes) or including it in another comprehensive taxonomic plan; increasing monitoring and surveying; and reintroducing genetically pure native populations.

Fluvial arctic grayling are restricted to the Big Hole River of southwest Montana. Arctic grayling are also found in a few natural lakes and reservoirs in western Montana. Cold water and gravelly substrate are needed for breeding purposes. Conservation concerns include: low fl ows during drought, decreasing survival due to high water temperatures, susceptibility to predation, and diminished habitat volume; displacement by nonnative trout; degradation of riparian vegetation and stream banks by range or forest management practices; and dewatering the river for agricultural uses. Conservation strategies include: creating riparian rehabilitation projects for identifi ed degraded habitats on the Big Hole River; reducing stocking of non-native fi sh; and supporting management of grazing to maintain riparian vegetation and channel stability.