STUDY NUMBER : 2.2 ( COMPLETED ) 



ORGANIZATION : Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks 

 ( MDFWP ) 



TITLE OF STUDY : Evaluation of the Effects of Pulp and Paper 

 Mill Effluents on the Fish Populations of the Middle Clark Fork 

 River 



CONTACT ( S ) : Dennis Workman - Montana Department of Fish, Wild- 

 life and Parks, Missoula - 721-5808 



Rod Berg - Project Biologist - Montana Department 

 of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Missoula - 721-5808 



OBJECTIVE: Obtain fishery and other baseline data on the Clark 

 Fork River to determine if treated pulp mill waste from Stone 

 Container Corporation's (Champion International) Frenchtown Mill 

 has a detrimental effect on the river's trout populations. 



DURATION: July, 1984 - July, 1986 



CURRENT STATUS : Trout population estimates have been conducted 

 at four sections in the middle Clark Fork River. The suitability 

 of the intergravel environment for trout egg survival has been 

 evaluated by water sampling (using standpipes) and on-site bio- 

 assays. The bioassays, using brown trout eggs, were conducted 

 during the winter and early spring of 1984-85. Three sites were 

 evaluated: near the Council Grove area, below Stone Container 

 Corporation (Champion International) and near Cyr. 



In the autumn of 1985, fish population estimates were con- 

 ducted at Harper's Bridge, Superior and two sites near Huson. 

 A saturation plant of 10,000 young-of-the-year brown trout was 

 made in the Huson section on June 23, 1986, to evaluate the pos- 

 sibility that recruitment is a limiting factor for trout pop- 

 ulations in the Clark Fork River. 



FUTURE ACTIVITIES : Further evaluations of intergravel environment 

 suitability will be conducted, along with measurement of physical 

 parameters such as stream gradient, average channel width and 

 development. The latter measurements will help identify dif- 

 ferences between reaches which might, in part, explain anomalies 

 in the fisheries (i.e., the almost complete absence of brown 

 trout below Missoula). 



PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS 



Two progress reports, available from the Department of Fish, 

 Wildlife and Parks in Missoula, have been prepared: 



"A Field Bioassay of Potential Effects of Champion 



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