Canyon Ferry Reservoir Management Now In FWP Region 4

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State fisheries officials announced that Canyon Ferry Reservoir in the Helena Valley will be managed as part of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Region 4 headquartered in Great Falls.

Fisheries biologists out of Region 3 in Bozeman had managed the reservoir. The change, effective July 1, puts all three upper Missouri River reservoirs under the same fisheries management team.

Canyon Ferry, Hauser and Holter reservoirs will be managed by Steve Dalbey, FWP fisheries biologist stationed in Helena, and Steve Leathe, Region 4 fisheries manager in Great Falls.   Eric Roberts, a fisheries field technician working at Canyon Ferry for several years, will continue in that capacity.

"Adding Canyon Ferry to Region 4 allows FWP to better coordinate fisheries management among the three Missouri River reservoirs," said Chris Hunter, chief of FWP’s Fisheries Division in Helena. "It just makes sense to have these three interconnected reservoirs managed by a single region."  

Canyon Ferry is the first in the chain of major water storage reservoirs that have significant influence on flows in 350 miles of Missouri River between Canyon Ferry dam and Fort Peck Reservoir.

"Canyon Ferry presents managers with a number of challenges." Hunter said. "It’s long been a trout fishery and a yellow perch fishery, and in the past 10 years or so, it’s become a popular walleye fishery. Because walleye prey on the yellow perch and the stocked trout, they’re affecting those populations. As the perch and trout   populations diminish, the health and sustainability of the walleye population come in to question. It’s a difficult challenge for fisheries managers to tackle."

Management of Hauser, Holter and Canyon Ferry is based on a comprehensive 10-year management plan completed in 2000. The plan remains in effect until 2010. No immediate management changes are expected, Hunter said.