Mission Mountain Tribal Wilderness Present Day Fisheries Management

Joe DosSantos Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Pablo, MT

Beginning in 1988, The Tribal Fisheries Program of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes began an effort to better understand the physical and biological characteristics of the many mountain lakes found along the eastern and southern borders of the Flathead Indian Reservation. Over 100 lakes are found within the Mission, Rattlesnake, and Ninemile mountain ranges; all but three lie above 5,260' msl. With few exceptions, the mountain lakes of the Reservation were historically fishless. To our knowledge, fish stocking began in 1927 and continued sporadically through the 1960s. These early stocking efforts used an interesting variety of species planted in approximately 63 previously fishless lakes. Unfortunately, there are no preexisting data as to historic vertebrate or invertebrate populations. Further, several of these early planting efforts have resulted in the establishment of reproducing populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Onchorynchus clarki bouvieri). Today, the Fisheries Management Plan for the Flathead Indian Reservation calls for fostering and maintaining self-sustaining westslope cutthroat trout (O. clarki lewisi) populations, while maintaining fishable stocked populations in 30 lakes deemed suitable for such fisheries.

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