Mountain Lake Management Policy

Bill Horton Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Alpine lake anglers have expressed the greatest satisfaction for any of the Department's fishery programs. This reflects the general experience of the angler's outing, as well as the quality of the fishing. High mountain lake management for over 50 years has been to stock lakes on a regular basis (usually two- to three-year intervals) to assure adequate supplies of fish for anglers. Alpine lakes have bee stocked with salmonids native to Idaho (but not necessarily native to a particular lake) and with exotic salmonids (brook trout, Arctic grayling, brown trout, Arctic char, Atlantic salmon).

The following guiding principles will be used to moderate or guide current and future mountain lake management:

• Some alpine lakes in each major drainage will be maintained fishless
  Since many (and likely most) alpine lake ecosystems evolved without fish populations, there is a need to maintain some lakes for genetic and biological diversity, natural heritage and wilderness values, and for scientific research on other aquatic life forms.
  


• Management of alpine lakes in wilderness and national recreation areas will be coordinated closely with the land management agencies
  The "Policy and Guidelines for Fish and Wildlife Management in Wilderness and Primitive Areas" manual, developed by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, will guide management of these alpine lakes. Stocking plans for wilderness lakes should address impacts in fisheries, lake ecosystems, recreational use, and aesthetics.
  


• Maintenance of self sustaining trout populations
  Determination of lakes capable of providing natural reproduction will be made. Stocking programs will be modified to reflect needs for these lakes and to reduce costs of programs. Detrimental effects of stocking fish on top of existing populations will be reduced.
  


• Maintenance of species of special concern and threatened and endangered species within alpine lake drainages
  Priority will be placed on management of alpine lakes in a manner so as to limit, or reduce impacts to, species of special concern and threatened and endangered species in and downstream form alpine lakes.

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