Category — Conservation

From Moldy Chum, these short takes on industrial fish farming in British Columbia. These films, produced by Calling from the Coast, are a nasty little pill we need to be giving anyone who supports open water fish farms. In B.C., fish farming by Cermaq, a Norwegian company, has infected wild salmon with lice.

From Montana FW&P, Thursday, 5/23:

“Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials said today that flooding has forced the closure of 11 fishing access sites in the western portion of the state and made conditions hazardous on a number of rivers.

Seven FASs on the Bitterroot River were closed Monday, May 19 including: Hannon Memorial, Wally Crawford, Angler’s Roost, Woodside Bridge, Bell Crossing, Poker Joe and Florence Bridge. On the Clark Fork River the Kona Bridge FAS west of Missoula on Mullan Road is also closed.

FAS sites in southwest Montana closed today include: Four Corners and Gallatin Forks (Nixon Bridge) on the Gallatin River near Manhattan and High Road on the Big Hole River near Twin Bridges. The closures will remain in effect until flood conditions subside.

Currently, high flows on the Missouri River are above Canyon Ferry, with lower flows below the dam. FWP officials are closely watching conditions at Headwaters State Park near Three Forks and said portions of the park may need to be restricted as early as tomorrow if the rain continues.

Water levels on the Missouri River below Holter Dam could increase dramatically over the next week as Canyon Ferry Reservoir fills, or sooner if the heavy rains develop as predicted.”

Here is the definition of the Montana Stream Access law from Montana, Fish, Wildlife & Parks (brief):

Under the Montana Stream Access Law, the public may use rivers and streams for recreational purposes up to the ordinary high-water mark.

The law states that rivers and streams capable of recreational use may be so used by the public regardless of streambed ownership.

While fishing on the Flathead River this weekend we encountered the reality, two instances of private land owners blocking or obstructing access to water below the high water mark. The one pictured below also had a culvert pipe built into it which is also a violation of the Soil and Conservation Districts laws.

The second was a developer that built a fence across a fishing access ramp that was supposed to be included as part of a sale. I’ll get to that one a little later.

Lack of snow melt prompted officials at Yellowtail Dam on the Bighorn River to cut flows today. The reservoir above Yellowtail was not filling fast enough because of cooler spring temps holding the snow in the mountains. Flows were set at 1950 fps, they will be reduced to 1500 fps.

The move may jeopardize this years class of Brown and Rainbow Trout due to the drop in water levels along the river in locations that support spawning and small fry before they are old enough to molt and move out into the main river.