Association of Philipsburg which contributed one half of the cost 

 of the toxicant used in the rehabihtation of Stewart Lake. 



Continuing Fisheries Census 



During the biennium as in the past one, a program of fisheries 

 census has been continuing in an effort to catalog the state's waters 

 for fishery management use. 



The program has two parts, creel census and direct stream and 

 lake census. The latter census is done largely by the district biologists 

 but every opportunity to gather such information is accepted by all 

 members of the Fisheries Division. 



The Fish and Game Commission again gratefully acknowledges 

 the help given the Department in this program by the Zoology and 

 Entomology Department of the Montana State College. Without the 

 provision they have made for allowing the Department office and 

 laboratory space, specialized equipment, and consultation with staff 

 members, the Continuing Fisheries Census, particularly as relates 

 to age and growth of fishes, could not have advanced to the stage of 

 high value it has now reached. 



Through the Statewide Creel Census phase of this program, 

 information on fish catches is obtained at a minimum cost to the 

 Department. The catch data is analyzed from punch cards and is 

 used by fishery managers in outlining hatchery planting programs, 

 in keeping a check on trends of fishing success, and in outlining 

 the species distributions. 



The greater part of the information is gathered by the Depart- 

 ment's game wardens as they go about their regular duties of enforce- 

 ment. This information is also furnished by cooperative sportsmen 

 who enter their catch records in Fishermen's Logs and by a few 

 guides and outfitters who are interested enough in the well-being 

 of the fisheries resource to keep catch records. 



In 1953 an estimate was made of Montana's total fish catch 

 using information obtained from the Statewide Creel Census. This 

 estimate was 11,182,000 fish of which 76.9 percent were trout, salmon 

 or grayling; 10.2 percent whitefish; 5.2 percent food fish (bass, sun- 

 fish, perch, catfish, crappie, sturgeon, ling and pike): and 7.7 percent 

 rough fish. 



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