Montana on which fish barriers have been 

 built specifically to create fish management 

 units. This management approach appears to 

 have real merit on drainages where undesir- 

 able species have overrun waters that ore 

 otherwise suitable for game fish. 



Montana Cooperative Fishery Unit 



The Montana Cooperative Fishery Unit at 

 Montana State University, Bozeman, is jointly 

 supported by Montana Fish and Game Depart- 

 ment, Montana State University, and U. S. 

 Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. The 

 Unit Leader and Assistant Leader are on the 

 staff of Montana State University and as a 

 result additional courses in aquatic biology 

 are offered. During the biennium, the research 

 program of the Unit emphasized ecology of 

 trout streams. 



Fish Hatcheries 



An integral part of Fisheries Division opera- 

 tions, the Montana fish hatchery system, ranks 

 as one of the most progressive in the nation. 

 During the past biennium a number of changes 

 and improvements have been made in the 

 fish hatchery system. At Arlee a new and 

 ultra-modern brood handling and spawning fa- 

 cility has been completed and put into oper- 

 ation. Basically, the new unit consists of five 

 concrete ponds and a spawning house. The 

 spawning house incorporates electrically oper- 

 ated push-button crowders to move the fish, a 

 vertical fish lift or elevator and fish return 

 pipes; all in a well-lighted, heated and venti- 

 lated building. Egg takers stand on a dry floor 

 beside a waist - high concrete raceway into 

 which the desired numbers of fish have been 

 moved by the mechanical crowder. The fish 

 are raised on the vertical lift so the workers 

 never need reach below the surface of the 

 water during the spawning operations. 



Each of the five concrete brood ponds or 

 raceways is so constructed that it can be di- 

 vided into halves or thirds to hold separate 

 the various groups of fish sorted as to age, 

 sex, spawning maturity, etc. From the spawn- 

 ing house, fish may be returned to any pond 

 or pond section through a system of pipes. 



The new unit has resulted in faster, more 

 efficient spawning operations and actually ben- 

 efits the brood fish since they receive a mini- 

 mum of handling. Arlee furnishes all of the 

 rainbow trout eggs used in the state. In addi- 

 tion to the fall spawning rainbow at Arlee, a 

 spring spawning strain is being developed. 

 This will give the state hatcheries greater flexi- 

 bility in producing fish of desired sizes for 

 stocking. 



In the interest of economy and efficiency in 



the fish hatchery system, operations were dis- 

 continued at the Emigrant station in July 1965. 

 Production at the Emigrant hatchery was low 

 because of the colder water temperatures. The 

 rainbow trout program from Emigrant has been 

 ably and easily handled by the fish hatchery 

 at Lewistown. Yellowstone cutthroat production 

 at Emigrant has been shifted to Big Timber 

 where these fish are doing very well. 



The fish hatchery at Anaconda began oper- 

 ations in 1908— the first state fish hatchery. 

 Although it is the oldest station. Anaconda 

 has besn kept modern and up-to-date over the 

 years and is a very important part of the state 

 fish hatchery system. In 1965 all of the old 

 outmoded electric wiring at the Anaconda 

 hatchery was replaced with new wire, elimi- 

 nating a fire hazard. An old wooden pipeline 

 bringing water from the spring to the hatchery 

 has been gradually deteriorating. In the fall 

 of 1965 a portion of the wooden line was re- 

 placed with concrete -asbestos pipe— the bal- 

 ance of the line will be replaced in the fall 

 of 1966. New fish distribution tanks and pumps 

 have improved distribution units at Anaconda. 



The largest of the state fish hatcheries at 

 Lewistown assumes the bulk of the planting 

 program. A large diesel-powered distribution 

 truck at the Lewistown hatchery helps get the 

 large numbers of fish raised into the desig- 

 nated waters at the proper time. 



In the time available between feeding and 

 caring for the fish during the winter months, 

 Lewistown hatchery personnel constructed sev- 

 eral fiberglass tanks and troughs. Besides items 

 for their own use, some construction was done 

 for other hatcheries. Built for definite needs, 

 the fiberglass tanks and troughs are durable, 

 light and easy to keep clean. 



At the Bluewater fish hatchery near Bridger, 

 Montana, the department traded surplus hatch- 

 ery lands for fisherman access to Bluewater 

 Creek. Remaining hatchery lands have been 

 fenced to keep livestock out, A new 1800-gallon 

 distribution tank at the Bluewater station has 

 made it possible to transport fish to the plant- 

 ing sites well within time limits. 



At the Libby and Somers fish hatcheries, 

 good progress has been made in the develop- 

 ment of the westslope strain of cutthroat trout. 

 Some of the diseases encountered in earlier 

 years in the westslope cutthroat are not pres- 

 ent in the fish now being held. Survival rates 

 are considerably improved and prospects are 

 very good of soon having all of the westslope 

 cutthroat required for stocking in its native 

 waters. 



Practically all of the state fish hatcheries 

 utilize the hatching box developed at Arlee. 

 The box, through a unique method of water 

 flow from a manifold in the bottom, can handle 

 large numbers of eggs in a small space with- 



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