Fish Stocking and Management Policy 



of the 

 Montana Fish and Game Department 



General 



1. The Fish Stocking and Management 

 Policy hereby established shall constitute 

 the official directions regarding the man- 

 agement and planting of fish in the State 

 of Montana. All personnel acting under 

 the jurisdiction of the Montana Fish and 

 Game Commission shall comply with this 

 policy. The provisions contained herein 

 shall supercede all others and changes 

 may be made only with the approval of 

 the Montana Fish and Game Commission, 

 the Superintendent of Fisheries and Chief 

 Fisheries Management Biologist of the 

 Montana Fish and Game Department. 



2. No stale or federally raised fish 

 shall be planted in any water of Montana 

 where public access is denied, except as 

 provided for under Pond Planting and 

 Management or under Planting and Man- 

 agement of Waters Affected by Natural or 

 Artificial Disaster. 



3. The Five-year Fish Distribution and 

 Management Plan shall be revised to 

 conform with the provisions of the Stock- 

 ing and Management Policy and shall 

 hereafter be known as The General Fish 

 Distribution Plan. 



4. The General Fish Distribution Plan 

 shall be changed only with the written 

 approval of the Superintendent of Fish- 

 eries and the Chief Fisheries Management 

 Biologist of the Montana Fish and Game 

 Department. 



5. No plant of fish shall be made in 

 any water of Montana not specifically 

 designated for planting in the General 

 Fish Distribution Plan without written ap- 

 proval from the Superintendent ol Fish- 

 eries and the Chief Fisheries Manage- 

 ment Biologist of the Montana Fish and 

 Game Department. 



6. Experimental plants of any species 

 of fish, of any size, may be made in spec- 

 ific waters for specific purposes where 

 there is no danger of damaging that water 

 or adjacent waters from a fishery stand- 

 point. Such plants of fish must be made 

 by the conservation personnel respon- 

 sible for the fishery management of the 

 waters wherein the fish are planted and 

 must first be approved by the Superin- 

 tendent of Fisheries and the Chief Fish- 



eries Management Biologist of the Mon- 

 tana Fish and Game Department. 



7. Eastern brook trout shall be reared, 

 as need for stock arises, at one only ol 

 the following state or federal fish cultural 

 stations: Big Timber, Lewistown, or Great 



Falls. 



Stream Planting and Management 



1. The provisions of this section shall 

 apply to all streams except as provided 

 for under General or Planting and Man- 

 agement of Waters Affected by Natural or 

 Artificial Disaster. 



2. Only grayling, rainbow^ or cutthroat 

 trout shall be planted in the streams of 

 Montana. 



3. Cutthroat trout and grayling shall 

 be given preference in stream plants 

 where they are likely to become estab- 

 lished. 



4. Rainbow trout plants shall not be 

 made in predominant cutthroat trout pop- 

 ulations and cutthroat trout shall not be 

 planted into predominant rainbow trout 

 populations. 



5. No rainbow or cutthroat trout planted 

 in streams shall be less than six inches 

 long (total length). 



6. Fish placed in streams shall be 

 planted at locations readily accessible 

 and used by the angling public. 



7. Fish planted in streams shall not be 

 placed in any stream location closer than 

 one-quarter stream miles from portions of 

 the stream where public access is denied. 



8. The number of fish planted in any 

 stream shall be dependent upon the fish- 

 ing pressure exerted on that stream; the 

 more heavily fished streams receiving 

 greater numbers of fish. 



9. Continued plants of fish in any 

 stream shall be dependent and based 

 upon a reasonable return of the planted 

 fish to the creel. 



10. Stream plants of fish shall not be 

 made until after the opening of the gen- 

 eral fishing season and not later than 

 August 1 5th in any calendar year. 



11. Stream plants of fish shall be made 

 Irequently and repeatedly in streams 

 warranting such plants. 



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