Park aims to control lake trout
Glacier National Park officials are preparing to develop a plan to curb the proliferation of lake trout in Quartz Lake, one of many lakes on the park's western flank that have been invaded by the non-native species.
The park is seeking initial public comments for an environmental review that will propose options to address the lake-trout problem.
Lake trout were first introduced into the Flathead Basin in the early 1900s and have since expanded their distribution and abundance throughout the basin. In just the last 30 years, lake trout have supplanted native bull trout as the dominant aquatic predator in most of Glacier's large west-side lakes.
Biologists regard it as an invasion akin to a terrestrial encroachment of knapweed in the park. The only difference is that it's under the surface of the park's sparkling waters and has not been addressed over time.
Quartz Lake is being considered for a lake trout suppression program largely because of the relatively short time the species is believed to have been there, said Chris Downs, a park fisheries biologist.
"It still appears that with this invasion, lake trout haven't expanded to a point where they are dominating other fish species like they are in other west-side lakes," Downs said.
In 2004, the park started building a fish barrier at the Quartz Lake outlet with the intention of preventing lake trout from occupying the lake. But just a year later, lake trout were detected in the lake.
"There's been some gill netting and hook-and-line sampling," Downs said. "Only a handful have been caught at this stage."
The park's latest plan will propose surveying the lake using radio telemetry technology to size up the population and learn how the 869-acre lake is being used for spawning. Park officials also will propose netting as a way to suppress the population, with consideration for using motorized and non-motorized boats.
"These are physically fairly simple systems. They are bathtub-shaped lakes with potential to identify spawning areas and target adult fish for removal," Downs said.
The project also would be aimed at protecting upstream waters, such as Cerulean Lake, from eventual invasion by lake trout.
Downs said the park and the U.S. Geological Survey have been in contact with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials who are involved with similar netting projects on Montana's Swan Lake and Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille.
"The intent is to try to do something with implementing the project by this fall," Downs said. "We would like to start doing something as early as possible."
The park will take public comments over the next few weeks. Comments can be sent to Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attn: Quartz Lake EA, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, MT, 59936.
Comments also can be submitted online to: