These numbers do not reflect fish removed from the main stem Flathead River during electroshocking.
For those of you who haven’t heard of this project before, it is an effort to remove rainbows and cutthroat ( if less than 90% pure) from the Flathead River drainage to reduce hybridization. The FWP has stated that it is not possible to eliminate hybrid trout from a large, interconnected river drainage such as the Flathead but results from suppression work suggest that it is possible to reduce the number of rainbow or hybrid trout adults enough to maintain populations at a level of 90% westslope cutthroat trout or better. FWP states “that in large, interconnected river systems, westslope cutthroat trout often display migratory behavior, making long-distance movements among spawning, rearing, and overwintering habitats. Migratory forms of a species are important for maintaining genetic diversity and dispersal among populations and help to protect a population against environmental disturbances, such as wildfire or floods.”
This project has been going on for 12 years now and they are looking to extend it another 10. It appears that it will have to be perpetual to maintain their goals. The graph above shows that over the course of the project the number of fish removed has been relatively minor. Hopefully that will be the case in the future. The annual cost for the project is about 10k.
Owning a fly shop and having commercial interest in the Flathead River has me unsure how I feel about the project. Of course we want to save the cutthroat but…I look at the Bitterroot, Clark Fork, and Blackfoot rivers that are all thriving economic resources (with cutthroat that have all likely been diluted below 90%) and it makes me think why not let it be. Another part of me asked why the focus on rainbows and hybrids when you have northern pike and lake trout throughout the drainage that have proven to wreak havoc on native cutthroat and bull trout. I guess the problem is that there really isn’t a way to track Flathead cutthroat populations effectively. Flathead cutthroat migrate and are difficult to survey. We can never really know what sort of affect this project or any other will have on population. Even if target goals are met and keep the strain at 90% pure westlope cutthroat, there is no guarantee they will survive at these levels in the Main Flathead. There is no data that suggests it will improve the population numbers or recreational fishing opportunities either. It most likely does the opposite. Hopefully it works out so we can have both.
Flathead River Rainbow.
- Winter Mode - Nov 10, 2024
- October Fishing - Oct 3, 2024
- Fall Fishing - Sep 21, 2024
I LOVE that photo, it’s great. I agree with almost everything you say. Killing any game fish is a serious decision that we should not make lightly. We are arguing over a species that is only left in less than 10% of it’s historic range. Rainbow are not in danger of blinking out. Our native cutthroat are. As you note, there are lots of places in Montana where you can fish rainbows, browns and hybrids. There are not a lot of places left that have healthy populations of pure natives. It’s likely that even with this suppression effort, rainbows will continue to expand in most of the Flathead. Rainbows are much better suited to warming waters than are cutts and most of our streams continue to see increases in stream temperatures that favor rainbows. Where and when we can give an slight advantage to our native fish, I think it is something we should attempt to do.
I see this suppression effort as more of a stopgap measure. Cutthroat populations in the Flathead declined by more than 50% since the late eighties and we all know that the real threat to our native fish is lake trout and to a lesser extent pike. We have fewer and smaller cutts now than at any time in the past. Lake trout suppression has the capability to nearly double the cutthroat population as well as increase their growth rate. That’s where the focus should be. Increasing the numbers makes the cutthroat population more secure and negates the need for many of these fringe projects that we are seeing now. If we do nothing to help cutts and bulls, we risk the threat of an ESA listing that will seriously disrupt river fishing opportunities for all of us.The best and most cost-effective thing we can do to help native trout in the Flathead is to reduce the lake trout population in Flathead Lake.
Thanks for your post. As anglers, we all need to be engaged and paying attention. Even if we come down on different sides of a particular argument or project based on the science, anglers are the ones who will pay the price for poor management decisions.
Lucky, I agree. I also think removing pike from the sloughs would have a greater affect on native cutthroat population than this project. However, I don’t think the FWP ESA scare tactic is correct. More than 50% of the conservation population are located in the South Fork which is an isolated system removed from most of these threats. Also, the FWP 90% goal is not an EPA standard and that number would be adjusted down before an ESA listing. Like you said we are skirting the REAL problem and I believe this project can only negatively affect outfitting opportunities in the future. Sadly most fishing clients just want to catch fish, even if they are only 70% pure cutthroat, and the term “suppression” doesn’t support better numbers.
You guys are missing the point. First off Old T why does the almighty dollar take precedent over native species? Who cares about the select few who guide and want to post “numbers” so they can get a big tip at the end of the day? Its about saving these fish for the future. You can catch a rainbow or brown anywhere in the country. Maybe a different stategy would be to tell perspective clients that they have the opportunity to catch a fish that exists in very few places in the world? I have no sympathy for you guides and outfitters. Why is it all about catching the most fish? Shouldnt it be about the intrinsic satisfaction of participating in the sport?
My second point:
When do Rainbows spawn ? When Do Cutthroat spawn?……At the same time thats the answer. So with that being said. So when FWP is removing these rainbows it lessens the chance for hybridization thus in theory creating more genetically pure WCT , the entire purpose of this project. What they are trying to do is to maintain this critical species. You are only going to guide or be on this earth for a very short time. Stop thinking of yourself and your wallet and think of the future.
Dave,
I understand your point and I’m not missing it. We really are not talking about rainbow or brown trout. We are talking about cutthroat trout that are less than 90% pure. It’s a good idea but not the underlying problem. Overall population of this critical species is in jeopardy under the current conditions whether or not they can maintain cutts that are 90% pure or not. Populations continue to decline. I would be all for a project like this if the FWP wasn’t skirting the real problems with this system. Until pike and lake trout are successfully dealt with these side projects have little merit in my book.