For more than a decade, FWP’s the Future Fisheries Improvement Program has worked to restore rivers, streams and lakes to improve and restore Montana’s wild fish habitats. About $750,000 are available each year for projects that revitalize wild fish populations.

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 any of the navigation buttons on the side menu for more details.

History

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:

1. riparian fencing and off-stream water development to improve habitat along streamside areas;
2. re-vegetation of stream banks and streamside areas to stabilize banks and provide cool the water;
3. installation of screening devices on irrigation diversions to prevent the loss of fish into the ditches;
4. removal of barriers or installation of fish ladders around barriers to facilitate the upstream movement of spawning fishes;
5. construction of barriers in selected locations to prevent non-native trout from competing with or hybridizing with genetically pure native cutthroat populations;
6. reconstruction of stream channels that have been modified from their natural form as a result of land use practices or channelization;
7. water conservation measures that result in a greater quantity of water left in-stream; and
8. installation of habitat structures in lakes and reservoirs that provide cover or enhance spawning.

A number of successfully completed restoration projects funded by the Future Fisheries Improvement Program have been highlighted in past news articles. Click on the bulleted items below to view examples of success stories.

• Future Fisheries Restoration on the Tongue River in Eastern Montana [Full story]
• Future Fisheries Restoration in the Big Hole [Full story]