Fisheries Restoration: Clark Fork Basin - State of the Fisheries

The condition of the Clark Fork Basin fishery is best described as mixed. While some areas are improving, others are in considerable trouble and likely getting worse. But positive actions are increasing, including community and landowner-supported stream restoration efforts and use of conservation easements to protect and enhance native fish populations. These positive actions struggle to reverse the negative effects of historic land uses and management while protecting the fishery from growing new threats. In particular, urbanization impacts increasingly demand action by FWP biologists. Although the mainstem’s recreational fishery is dominated by introduced rainbow and brown trout, the importance of native species to the river’s health is increasingly recognized by the fisheries profession and the public. Overall, populations of some native species are increasing--most likely due to more restrictive fishing regulations in several areas. In the past decade, angler use of most of the basin’s rivers has increased dramatically--a development that has both positive and negative impacts. A short summary of MFWP’s fishery restoration and protection efforts in the subbasins illustrates the variety of issues we face