Page Eighteen 



1931 — BIENNIAL REPORT — 1932 



gram. These records show which wa- 

 ters must be stocked with larger fish, 

 and which waters, due to the protec- 

 tion afforded, are suitable for the plant- 

 ing of fingerlings or fry. The chief 

 obstacle in the way of more rapid de- 

 velopment of the program for the 

 planting of larger fish is lack of rev- 

 enue. We are very mindful, however, 

 of the value of this program and in- 

 tend to continue efforts toward expan- 

 sion. 



Some experimental work was done 

 at Lake Helena during the fall of 1931 

 tow^ard establishing a plant for the pur- 

 pose of utilizing the secondary fish, 

 carp and suckers, for fish food. The 

 nature of the experiment was to de- 

 termine the availability of these fish, 

 their value as fish food having been 

 previously determined. It developed 

 that it will be possible to collect these 

 fish at a small cost and in numbers 

 which warrant the construction of a 

 small canning plant. Some work was 

 done toward preparing a fish meal as 

 a food but little headway was made 

 due to the improvised plant not being 

 adapted for economical preparation for 

 this type food. It is the intention to 

 erect a plant at this point as soon as 

 revenue is available, to effect a con- 

 siderable saving in fish food costs in- 

 curred in holding fish to a larger size. 



Because of the surplus of native 

 trout eggs each year at the George- 

 town lake spawning station, exchanges 

 are made with other State Fish and 

 Game Departments for different species 

 needed to meet the wide range of con- 

 ditions in this state. 



While these exchanges are to our 

 advantage in that it is possible in this 

 way for us to obtain the different 

 species through the operation of one 

 spawning station, there is no assurance 

 that it will be possible to continue 

 with exchanges for any definite period, 

 due to the possibility of a decrease 

 in our native egg collection or through 

 being able to utilize the entire take of 

 natives. For this reason steps are be- 

 ing taken to develop or revive spawn- 

 ing stations for Rainbow at Lake Fran- 

 cis, Lake Ronan and Cliff lake, for 

 Eastern Brook at Daly's lake in Park 

 county, for Loch Leven in Hebgeu lake, 



Ci)oma2i €. Bap 



MONTANA'S St.Tte Fish nnd Game 

 Department lost one of the 

 most valued members of its 

 fisheries division staff with the pass- 

 ing of Thomas E. Day. foreman of 

 the Station Creek hatchery at Pol- 

 son last June. Mr. Day, who was 

 42. and who had been associated 

 with the department for eight years, 

 was stricken with a heart attack 

 and was unable to rally. His widow 



ice with' the fisheries division he was 

 employed at Missoula. Ovando and at 

 Station Creek. He was relied upon 

 annually to assist with the important 

 spawn-taking work at the mouth of 

 Flint creek on Georgetown lake and 

 his death creates a vacancy that will 

 be difficult to fill. 



for Grayling in Rogers and lower Ash- 

 ley lakes in Flathead county and the 

 development of Big Ashley for natives 

 to be used in the event that we have 

 more demand for this species at some 

 future time than Georgetown will sup- 

 ply. The magnitude of fish cultural 

 operations is measured by the available 

 brood stock. 



In the spring of 1931 the Oregon type 

 of revolving fish screen was installed 

 in an irrigation ditch out of Spring 

 creek on the Madison near Ennis. This 

 ditch was recognized as one of the 

 worst in the state with regard to the 

 annual loss of fish. While the screen 

 operates effectively and leaves no doubt 

 as to the value of its installation, the 

 cost is prohibitive, with the present 

 revenue, for this division to accept 

 full responsibility for screening ditches 

 and it is hoped that it will be possible 

 to devise some means of financing this 

 important undertaking or interest other 

 agencies in the matter. 



The new highway from Great Falls 

 lo Helena opens a lengthy stretch of 

 the Missouri river to fishermen and it 

 is planned to make a concerted effort 

 to further develop the fishing in this 

 water as rapidly as possible. Consid- 

 erable has been done in recent years, 

 in anticipation of the demands resulting 



from the new highway, toward stock- 

 ing the upper stretches from Wolf 

 Creek to Cascade with Loch Leven and 

 Rainbow and this year many good 

 calches were made. 



The Missouri river offers a wide 

 range of conditions in the immediate 

 vicinity of Great Falls, with the upper 

 portion being ideally suited for trout 

 and with the reservoirs formed by the 

 power dants being ideally adapted for 

 the warm water species such as bass, 

 trappies. perch and cattish. These 

 .species have been planted in the reser- 

 voirs for the last few years in limited 

 numbers. The Miles City Warm Wa- 

 ter station is not yet developed to full 

 capacity. 



In 1923 a number of catfish from 

 .Nelson Reservoir near Malta were 

 planted in Nine Pipe Reservoir on the 

 Flathead Reservation and splendid re- 

 sults obtained. !t is planned to trans- 

 plant a large number of these from 

 Nine Pipe next year to the reservoirs at 

 Great Falls. 



An egg exchange has been made with 

 Michigan whereby they are to furnish 

 us with wall-eyed pike for grayling. It 

 is planned to plant the pike as an ex- 

 periment in the Missouri river reser- 

 voirs and in the lower Yellowstone and 

 Tongue rivers next spring. 



During the last two years, rearing 

 ponds have been constructed on the 

 Dearborn and Upper Sun River and 

 they have produced satisfactory results. 

 With the establishment of a feeding 

 station on the Missouri river or one 

 of the tributaries, as planned for next 

 spring, it will be possible to keep this 

 area in the front as a fishing para- 

 dise. Belt creek, once famed for its 

 fishing, is fast coming back after the 

 depletion suffered from the effects of 

 pollution from mining operations. It 

 is planned to plant this stream heavily 

 with Eastern Brook and Rainbow and 

 these eggs are now being incubated at 

 the Great Falls hatchery. 



The comparatively limited trout fish- 

 ing waters in the Billings territory 

 necessitates a careful and thorough ap- 

 plication of fish cultural methods to 

 keep pace with the heavy drain. Due 

 to conditions prevailing in the Still- 

 water river, with fast water and litn- 



Fish Distribution Report of All State Hatcheries in 1932 



Ci'upples I'erch 



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Anaconda 

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 rmly (Iliiml 

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K«d LiitlKu . 

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 AHhIoy Luke 



Cooperative: 

 lliiltii AiikIiti. 

 .M<'AlllHl«r 



!l»0 , 200 



Dou.ami 



700,615 



4U1,00U S86.00U 



I,SI7,&00 

 l,4!ll.80O 

 I.»(1,SU 

 1.174.1s; 

 l.g$S.400 



17b.S70 

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!)«0.S«0 

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!I40,I}0 



3.4;;.t4o 



10,000 

 7S4.6M 



'>7.ttB& ItO.MO 10.085 10, 134, 810 3,8113,000 1,800,000 801.000 350,301 3.310.070 t.47&,7[>0 SO.UI.Mr 



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