Low Water Conditions Are Impacting The State's Fisheries

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Reports on water levels coming in from some Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regions around the state paint a grim picture for some of the state’s smaller stocked ponds and reservoirs, according to Steve Leathe, regional fisheries manager. "We’re seeing conditions in north central Montana similar to those in 1988, one of our worst drought years," Leathe said. "We’ve already cancelled stocking in some small ponds and reservoirs that we expect will have very low water levels or that may go dry. The water levels in some larger reservoirs may also drop significantly and we are watching them closely." The stocking of 23 reservoirs in the state has been cancelled so far this year. That means about 300,000 fish between one and nine inches long will not be released this season as originally planned. There may be additional cancellations as the season goes on, according to Leathe. Most cancellations of fish stocking have occurred in north central Montana where FWP reduced or canceled the stocking of 19 reservoirs. For example, Yellow Water Reservoir in Petroleum County won’t see the 12,000 four-inch rainbow trout due to be stocked there. In another stocking cancellation in northeast Montana, Fresno Reservoir in Hill County will lose 100,000 walleye fry. "If some fish remain into the next year, a fishery hit by drought may recover in a year or two with the help of hatchery plants of larger fish," Leathe said. "If there is a total loss of fish in the body of water, it may take three to four years to reestablish the fishery."