Montana Hunting News
Written by Montana Hunter
Thursday, 14 April 2011 08:01
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is again taking a conservative approach to managing the state's unique populations of paddlefish.
Fisheries managers in FWP’s Regions 6 & 7 say paddlefish reproduction has been poor or absent in recent years because of cold water releases out of Fort Peck Dam, extended drought, and corresponding low water flows and other environmental factors.
These factors, combined with increased fishing pressure on adult paddlefish, makes more conservative management of these long-lived fish essential. The one exception is the Missouri River above Fort Peck, where conditions have been favorable for limited natural reproduction.
