More electrofishing planned

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has announced plans to continue its efforts to stop rainbow trout from cross-breeding with native westslope cutthroat trout in local waters.

FWP biologists plan on removing spawning rainbow trout in Abbot, Third, Ivy, Sekokini and Rabe creeks — all small tributaries either the mainstem of the Flathead River or the North Fork. Third Creek is in Glacier National Park and flows into the river near Glacier Rim.

Biologists began suppression efforts on some of the streams several years ago, and since then they’ve expanded the program. The effort would last six to 10 years.

Rainbow trout are not native to the river system, but they can cross-breed with native cutthroats, compromising the genetic integrity of cutthroats. Non-hybridized westslope cutthroat trout today occupy less than 10 percent of their historic range in the U.S. and less than 20 percent in Canada.

Since 2000, FWP biologists have removed more than 1,600 rainbow or hybrids from the tributaries. Last year, they removed 102 fish. The most they’ve ever caught in one year was 215 in 2005.

Through the years, hybridized fish have slowly moved upstream, primarily from rainbows that were spawning in Abbot Creek, which flows through Martin City. That’s where suppression efforts first started.

The fish are either caught in fish traps or by electrofishing, where fish are stunned by an electric current and then netted. FWP plans to use a jet boat to navigate the waters in April and May when the fish are spawning. That requires a special-use permit from the Forest Service, as the rivers are classified as wild and scenic.

The captured fish don’t go to waste. FWP has been putting them in Pine Grove Pond near Kalispell so people can catch them, FWP biologist Amber Steed said. The pond is a popular fishery for youth groups and family outings.

A draft environmental assessment on FWP’s plans is available for review online at http://fwp.mt.gov/news/publicNotices/environmentalAssessments/restorationAndRehab/pn_0113.html. Comments will be taken until March 8. Contact Steed at 751-4541 or asteed@mt.gov for questions or comments.