face of a general 20 percent increase in the population of the 

 stream. Changes such as these have been made on thousands of 

 miles of streams in Montana and have made corresponding reductions 

 in the trout populations. Again, here is a situation which has seriously 

 and adversely affected the trout populations but which is related in 

 no way to fishing pressure. 



Construction of impoundments for storage of irrigation water, 

 for generation of hydro-electric power, and for flood control is in- 

 evitable. When these dams are planned, fish should be given not 



simply consideration, but an active role. In the 

 Consider Fish past, and unfortunately at the present also, the 



In Planning policy is to salvage some remnant of the fish 



Impoundments resource after other interests have been given 



more than their share of consideration. Fish have 

 not even been considered until after construction has been completed. 



Hundreds of miles of good fishing water have been lost in the 

 past to artificial impoundments, and additional hundreds of miles 

 are destined for the same fate. Economic developments cannot be 

 stopped to preserve recreational fishing, but a minimum of harm 

 will be done to the recreational resource if the fisheries interests are 

 given an active place in the planning of these water development 

 projects. 



In this manner those projects can be constructed first that will 

 have the least damaging effects to the fisheries resource, and in this 

 manner also, adjustments can be made in the plans so that fisheries 

 can be benefitted to the utmost, consistent with the major purposes of 

 the impoundments. 



While it is essential that waters be diverted from stream courses 

 to raise crops to feed the human population of the nation, neverthe- 

 less since the fishery habitat is involved, it must be examined along 

 with other factors to determine why the fisheries have declined. The 

 basic premise stated earlier was that fish need water. 



How many miles of fishing streams in Montana have had all 

 the water removed for irrigation purposes? These streams are re- 

 moved from fish production. How many more miles of stream, while 

 not completely dewatered, have had the noimal stream flow greatly 

 reduced by irrigation uses? 



Fish can live in these stieams, nevertheless the reduced stream 

 size will produce a correspondingly reduced fish population. Waters 

 must be used for irrigation; but fishing opportunities are thereby 

 reduced and fishing success is also reduced. Civilization then, and not 

 fishing pressure, is responsible for declined fishing success from 

 these causes. 



It would be desirable if the laws of the state were such that 

 the Fish and Game Commission could create additional water by 

 construction of strategically located headwater impoundments so 

 that this watei- could be released into streams during periods of 



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