Tribes release draft on Flathead Lake fisheries plan
It’s been over 12 years in the making, and now a draft environmental impact study is ready for the public.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes last week announced that the draft environmental impact statement for management of Flathead Lake fisheries is ready. The study, “Proposed Strategies To Benefit Native Species by Reducing the Abundance of Lake Trout in Flathead Lake, Montana” was released June 21 and is available for public review.
Tribal Fisheries and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks have worked since 2000 to implement measures to increase the number of native fish in Flathead Lake while maintaining a recreational fishery that includes non-native lake trout. The draft study describes four alternatives with varying degrees of lake trout suppression. The study analyzes potential benefits to native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout as well as the biological, social and economic impacts from a non-native lake trout suppression program.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says aggressive measures such as gill netting lake trout are not required, but are outlined in the draft environmental study. FWP says bull trout populations are 60 percent above the secure levels, a guideline developed under the tribal and state co-management plan. Because bull trout are above secure levels, FWP says that there is no purpose and need to proceed with gill netting at this time. Harvest of lake trout through recreational angling and Mack Days are within the direction of the current management plan, FWP said in a news release.
FWP also made a statement that it is concerned about the high level of uncertainty associated with the modeling results on which the study analysis is based. “We believe that the analysis underestimates the risk to bull trout from the proposed gill netting actions, and overestimates the benefit to bull trout,” spokesperson John Fraley said in a news release. “(FWP) also believes that the impacts to the recreational fishery are underestimated.
Fraley said FWP is concerned about the by-catch of bull trout in a lake-trout netting scenario. Bull trout will be caught and killed in the nets along with the lake trout, he said. Large numbers of lake whitefish will be part of the by-catch, as well as other species, Fraley said. FWP believes that the best direction is for the tribes and the state to work together on a shared vision and management direction before any changes are made to current management, Fraley said. Fraley’s news release also said, “FWP appreciates CSKT’s inclusion in the (study) of a possible decision that could be made by CSKT and BIA which states: ‘Select none of the alternatives (in the study) and reconvene the management planning team.’”
The study is available online at www.flatheadlakeeis.net.
Copies of the document are available for viewing at the fisheries office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, 406 Sixth Ave. E., Polson. A public comment period ends Aug. 5. A public meeting will be in late July. For information on the study, contact Barry Hansen at 675-2700, extension 7282.