Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is putting finishing touches on a Drought Contingency Plan to help balance recreational angling demands with the well being of the state’s wild and native trout fisheries this summer. "We are anticipating a repeat of last year when low stream flows forced us to close angling on some streams and to use temporary and voluntary restrictions on other waters to protect important fisheries," said Karen Zackheim, FWP Fisheries Management Bureau Chief. "The plan’s guidelines will help us make these tough decisions in a consistent way round the state-"if it comes to that." The draft Drought Contingency Plan sets out three options for streams severely impacted by drought: voluntary partial closure, partial closure prohibiting fishing between the hours of noon and midnight, and full closures prohibiting all angling. "The more drought-resistant lake and reservoir fisheries in a region will remain open to angling unless drastically reduced water levels or other unanticipated conditions occur," Zackheim said."This will help offset the possible closing of wild and native trout fisheries that might not be able to sustain fishing pressure through a full summer of severe drought." On streams where watershed groups have drought plans in place-"like the Big Hole River--the fisheries will be managed as part of a whole picture of water use. "The trick is balancing both the biological and social issues during drought," Zackheim said."For example, sometimes when a popular stream is closed, anglers may unintentionally increase fishing pressure on another nearby stream pushing it into a critical situation." FWP’s draft Drought Contingency Plan calls on regional fisheries managers to identify and closely monitor more than 100 priority waters; critical fisheries with wild and native species; and more drought-resistant fisheries such as lakes and reservoirs that can sustain fishing pressure despite drought. "We’ll use stream flow or lake/reservoir levels and daily maximum water temperature to trigger an evaluation of a particular body of water and actions necessary to protect the fish there," Zackheim said. The stream-flow threshold for protection is based on what would be expected to be the 1-in-20-year low flow based on historic stream-flow gauge data. For most trout species a daily maximum water temperature of 73 degrees for three consecutive days is the protection threshold.For bull trout it is a daily maximum temperature equal to or exceeding 60 degrees for three consecutive days. The decision on what action to take is more complex, because a variety of factors combine to make a fishery vulnerable to stress. Biologists will consider the stream’s location and whether the stream is wide and shallow or narrow and deep.Other factors include wild, naturally reproducing populations versus stocked populations; and the water’s historic angling pressure versus the projected angling pressure generated when a nearby stream is closed to fishing or runs dry. A regional fisheries biologist’s overall assessment of all factors will lead to a recommended action, Zackheim said. Recommended regional fishing restrictions or closures and the rationale for the proposed action will be coordinated with the FWP Helena Fisheries Division and decided upon by the FWP Commission.For the full text of the draft FWP Drought Contingency Plan go to the FWP web site at fwp.state.mt.us and look under Public Notices, select the Fishing Regulations category and click on Drought Contingency Plan.
Recent News
