• Sun River Fisheries Goals
• Getting Started
• Phase 1
• Fish Tracking
• What We Hope To Learn
• How To Adopt A Fish

The idea for a Sun River Adopt-A-Fish program was hatched in 2004. For more than 10 years, a group of farmers, ranchers, anglers, recreational floaters, and representatives of state, federal and local governments have been working together to solve some of the natural resource problems in the Sun River drainage. This group of people is known as the Sun River Watershed Group and almost 50 different organizations and hundreds of people have participated over the years. Go to the Sun River Watershed Group for more information.

Sun River Fisheries Goals

To make better progress on the goals of the Watershed Group, five workgroups were set up to work on problems related to weeds, agriculture, water quality, water management, and fisheries. The Fisheries Workgroup is made up of representatives from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri River Flyfishers club, and others. Their goal is to improve the fisheries in the Sun River and its feeder streams. To do this, the group plans to find ways to:

• Reduce fish losses in irrigation canals.
• Improve in-stream flows and water temperatures in the river and tributaries.
• Improve fish habitat in the river and tributaries, and
• Raise public awareness of the status of fisheries in the watershed.

Getting Started

Usually, the toughest part of a new project is getting started, and this project is no exception. It takes a team of people with different types of knowledge and abilities to launch a project like this. First, and most importantly, we need teachers and students who are interested in adopting fish and bringing this program into the classroom. But we also need people who can work with the schools to organize field trips; we need biologists to collect fish, implant transmitters, track fish movements, and report the results; and we need computer experts who can deliver the information to interested students and the general public. And, of course, we have to find time, money and equipment to do all this.

This project is designed to last several years and teach us all more about the behavior and challenges faced by trout and other species like whitefish and suckers that live in different areas of the Sun River and its tributaries.

Phase 1—Gibson Dam to Diversion Dam

We decided to start near the top of the river system and work our way downstream. In the Sun River Canyon, about 3 ½ miles downstream from Gibson Dam, the Sun River plunges over a 100+ foot natural waterfall into a spectacular gorge. Construction of a relatively small dam known as Diversion Dam was completed on top of the waterfall in 1915. The purpose was to divert water from the Sun River into canals that supply Pishkun and Willow Creek Reservoirs, to be used for irrigation. This dam backs up water for about a mile in a small, shallow reservoir known as “Diversion Lake”.

Biologically, this is a very interesting area. Though not much fisheries survey work has been done here, biologists know substantial numbers of wild trout inhabit Diversion Lake and the 2.5-mile stretch of river between Gibson Dam and the lake. We also know that surprisingly large numbers of trout have been stranded in the main irrigation canal (Pishkun Supply Canal) that transports water from Diversion Dam approximately 12 miles to Pishkun Reservoir. Some of the earliest fisheries studies in all of Montana were done on this canal in 1950 and 1951. It was estimated that about 28,000 fingerling trout (about 3 inches or smaller) and 7,000 catchable-sized trout (about 8 inches and bigger) were lost in the canal each year. That is a lot of fish, considering the Sun River below Diversion Dam only supports an average of 50-120 catchable-sized trout per mile of river.

Fish Tracking

In the first phase of the Adopt-A-Fish program, we intend to learn more about what life is like for fish living in the unique area of the Sun River between Gibson and Diversion dams. To begin, 20 trout were captured in this area during fall, 2004 by electrofishing and angling. Radio transmitters were surgically implanted in these fish. The transmitters were set to switch on automatically in early spring, so these fish can be tracked through the spring spawning season and summer irrigation season. In future years, more fish and different species will be implanted, and the overall effort will probably move to other downstream river sections.

Once our transmitters start beeping in the spring, we will attempt to locate our fish once a week, and possibly more during the rainbow trout spawning period (April – May). It will be interesting to see if these rainbows spawn in some or all of the tributaries (Beaver Creek, Hannan Gulch, Blacktail Gulch, Wagner Creek), or in the river itself. Relocations will be made from the ground using a small antenna and receiver while driving the road along the river, and walking the portions of the river that are away from the road. In the event that some of our fish disappear, we may have to use an airplane to find them. They could go downstream in the river below Diversion Dam, or into the canal that leads to Pishkun Reservoir, or into the canal going to Willow Creek Reservoir.

What We Hope To Learn

Through this effort, we hope to find answers to many questions, including:

• Where and when do these fish spawn?
• Do they prefer to live in Diversion Lake or in the river? Does this preference vary by season?
• How many are lost into the irrigation canals?
• If they enter the canals, how far do they go?
• How do fish react to major changes in river flow resulting from irrigation water use?
• How many are washed over Diversion Dam?
• If they wash over the dam, do they survive? How far down the river do they go?
• How can we improve trout populations in the Sun River?

We really do not know what to expect- it is going to be interesting. We hope you join us in the fun!

How To Adopt A Fish

Because this is a new program in central Montana, we wanted to start with a small, yet dedicated core of interested teachers and students. So, we asked teachers at Power School and Greenfield Elementary School to participate. These local schools are in the Sun River watershed and already participate in FWP's “Hooked on Fishing” program. In addition, we asked Fairfield School to join because they are also nearby in the watershed and are actively involved in FWP's aquatic education programs.

In fall 2004, radio transmitters were placed in 20 rainbow trout in the Sun River Canyon between Gibson and Diversion dams. The schools participated in a fieldtrip where they toured the area, learned about the river, and observed biologists implanting transmitters in fish. Each class will adopt two fish to name and follow.

Anyone can follow any fish on the website, but only school classes and other organizations can adopt a fish. If your school or organization wants to formally participate in the Sun River Adopt-A-Fish Program and name your own fish, here's how:

• Have your class or organization choose a name for an unnamed fish. Be original. These fish went to the trouble of “volunteering” for the program, so give them a good name.
• Then have your teacher, principal, or organization leader write an e-mail with:
  1. Your school or organization's name, street or rural route address, town, state and zip code,
  2. What grade your class is in (or grades, if it's a one-room school), if applicable,
  3. The number of students in the class or members in the organization,
  4. The teacher's or organization leader's name (just to have somebody's name instead of e-mailing back to "Hey you!"),
  5. A name for your fish
• Put "Adopt-A-Fish" in the subject line of the e-mail and send it to Bruce Auchly.