(Right) A fisheries biologist holds a 

 sturgeon killed by toxicant. (Below) 

 Representative of the soecies found in 

 the waters of the Marias drainage be- 

 fore the all-out warfare on carp and 

 goldeye, satrting at the top, are a 

 sturgeon, carp, sucker, goldeye and red 

 horse sucker. 



accomplished in one summer. Three years will be required to restock 

 the drainage. One and one-half million fish were stocked in 1955. 

 The main stocking effort will bcsin in 1956 with 6,000,000 fish being 

 lil^erated in that year and in succeeding years. It should be borne 

 in mind that this stocking must be done over and above regular hatchery 

 commitments; therefore the number of rehabilitation projects that can 

 be undertaken must be carefully balanced, not only against production 

 facilities, but even more important, against available egg supplies. 



Two main applications of stream rehabilitation are evident from 

 the Marias and Otter Creek projects: (1) To remove undesirable fish 

 permanently above a natural or artificial barrier and (2) "summer 

 fallowing." By "summer fallowing" is meant tlie removal of weed 

 fish from an area into which they will again move and populate so 

 that a crop of desirable fish may be produced and harvested. After 

 rough fish have been removed, game fisli will be stocked. These will 

 provide I'ishing for a period of time until tiie rough fish again pre- 

 dominate. .\t this time weed fish may again l)e removed liy tox'cant 

 application. This type of management will be cheaper tlian fish 

 planting alone where catchable-size fish ct)sting twenty-five to thirty- 

 five cents each must be planted. After "summer fallowing," inexpen- 

 sive fingerling fi^li may lie planted. 



It was the opinion of the Commission tliat tlie Bureau of Reclama- 

 tion should have included rehabilitation costs as a part of the project 

 cost because of the liability of the impoundment to upstream fisheries. 

 The Bureau of Reclamation would not recognize this liability; therefore 

 llic Departnu'iit Iiad to stand the cost through its I'ederal Aid in 

 h'isheries Restoration program. This problem sliould lie given careful 

 consideration n the future so that the cost of alleviating such lial ilitirs 

 will be borne by water development agencies creating the liabilities. 



54- 



