fish production methods. Because of the cost of rearing catchable-size 

 trout artificall}', an angler would not be able to take many more than 

 one limit of fish in a j'ear before he would have exhausted the value 

 of his three dollar fishing license. 



Further examination of the table noted above will show that where 

 an increase in available fish must come about by artificial means, 

 methods must be developed whereby small trout may be planted and 

 whereby a large percentage of these will survive to the creel. 



During the summer of 1953 the Department executed an experi- 

 mental rehaliilitation project on 16 miles of Otter Creek near Raynes- 

 ford (see Biennial Report, 1953-1954, pp. 76-77). This demonstrated 

 that stream rehabilitation was a highly useful tool to fisheries man- 

 agement and that the vacuum created thereby at a relatively low cost 

 allowed a high survival of fingerling fish plants. Herein is found a 

 means of producing low cost fishing. 



Plans for construction of Tiber Dam on the Marias River in 

 Liberty County were begun a number of years ago by the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. During the planning 

 stages it was not envisioned that the fishery could be benefited greatly 

 by the dam or harmed by it. As time went on. however, the fisheries 

 men of the Department realized that population pressures from rough 

 fish in Tiber Reservoir would force these rough fish to migrate upstream 

 and ruin presently existing trout fisheries in the headwater streams 

 and in Lake Francis. 



This is exactly wliat happened after Fort Peck Reservoir was 

 created. Goldeye moved upstream from the reservoir into such tribu- 

 tary drainages as the Judith River, Spring Creek and the Marias. It 

 seemed very obvious that with another reservoir such as Tiber located 

 well in the headwaters of the Marias drainage, fish such as carp and 

 goldeye would be forced even farther upstream and adversely affect 

 remaining productive trout fisheries. Favorable results on Otter 

 Creek, therefore, prompted the Commission to authorize a survey of 

 the Marias River drainage in 1954 to determine the feasibility of remov- 

 ing the carp and goldeye from the drainages above Tiber Dam. Were 

 these fish removed, Tiber Dam would be a barrier to upstream fish 

 movement and would i)re\ent rcinfeslation of these waters from down- 

 stream. 



This three-month survey conducted by two men disclosed tliat 

 while the rehabilitation project would be a large one, nevertheless 

 the project would be well worth the time and money which would be 

 invested in it. In the decision which was made to proceed with the 

 project it was realized fully that rehabilitation is always a gamble, 

 even in small lakes which are more easily controlled than a large 

 drainage basin of lakes, ponds, sloughs, and streams. If a complete 

 kill of carp and goldeye could be realized, there would be no doubt 

 about the value of the project. If a complete kill were not made, it 

 was determined tliat excellent fishing would be provided in Tiber 

 Reservoir and its tributary streams for a long enough period of time 

 to justify the project. 



-52 — 



