FISHERIES DIVISION 



INTRODUCTION 



Montana is today one of the last frontiers of trout fishing in the 

 United States. Species found hero include the cutthroat, rainbow, 

 brown (loch leven), Mackinaw (lake), the charrs (brook trout and 

 dolly varden) and the grayling. Montana has the only remaining 

 original grayling habitat which still has this species. 



Fishing has a definite value not only to Montanans but also to the 

 traveling public It is estimated that $75,000,000 are contributed to this 

 state by individuals who come to see our parks and scenery and enjoy 

 our out of doors. In 1951 the Montana Fish and Game Department 

 sold 29,175 non-resident fishing licenses. Using a conservative estimate 

 of $30 expended by each visitor for fishing only it can be shown that 

 a minimum of $375,230 is derived by Montana business from this 

 source. 



Further calculations indicate that 170,449 resident fishermen spend 

 at least $50 each or a total of $3,552,450 annually. Thus a total of 

 $9,397,700 is spent by Montana sportsmen or visitors for fishing tackle, 

 lodging, meals, gasoline and related costs of a fishing trip. 



The Montana Fish and Game Department spends annually $400,000 

 on all fisheries expenditures. It can readily be seen that the operating 

 costs of maintaining Montana's fishery is in small proportion to the 

 cash return to Montana's economy. The chief value, that of pleasure 

 and recreation, has not been considered, as it can be measured only 

 in the health and welfare of our people. 



Montana in a sense is at the crossroads of its fisheries manage- 

 ment. We have left the period where isolation and vast untouched 

 areas assured us of adequate fishing regions. We are entering the 

 period now passed through so tragically by eastern states. A stand 

 must be taken soon on the place recreation is to have in our future 

 economy. Problems of pollution, big dams, and other factors dis- 

 turbing Montana streams must be faced squarely. The industry of 

 fish and game is one of Montana's largest — only sincere, unbiased 

 thinking and planning will keep it so. 



The return that is enjoyed by the people in recreation cannot be 

 measured in dollars and cents, however. We must also bear in mind 

 that these same enjoyments and some fishing at one time or another 

 was enjoyed by the eastern states. But their economic development 

 was so fast and without regard to the protection of the natural 

 resources that their recreational resources suffered and were exploited 

 by private interests and closed to the use of the public and is very 

 nearly a thing of the past. We should in our management in Montana 

 consider that we have a natural resource that we are not utilizing to 

 its capacity and we must plan to conserve the streams and lakes so 

 they may be retained as long as possible for future use. In doing so 

 we must adequately provide for the control of pollution both from a 



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