Bull-trout harvesting to close on Lake Koocanusa

Bull-trout harvesting on Lake Koocanusa will close March 1 in an effort to improve the diminished population of the threatened species, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a request from Montana FWP regional biologists on Monday to implement the closure while still maintaining catch-and-release fishing on the popular Lincoln County lake. Prior to the closure, harvest was limited to one bull trout per license year from June 1 through Feb. 28, with catch-and-release fishing allowed the rest of the year. Anglers were required to have a Lake Koocanusa Bull Trout Catch Card when fishing for the species.

Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. Through special arrangements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, limited harvest has been allowed at Lake Koocanusa, Hungry Horse Reservoir, and a catch-and-release fishery is allowed in the South Fork of the Flathead River, according to a FWP press release.

Due to the threatened status of the native species, FWP says the agency prefers to take a “very conservative approach to bull-trout management while still allowing opportunities for harvest when possible.”

Biologists with FWP believe it is appropriate to limit bull-trout harvesting until redd counts. Counts for bull trout are performed in the fall and are used as an important metric for measuring fish reproduction and recruitment and are included as part of the requirements for the harvest permit.

For the Lake Koocanusa bull-trout population, redd counts in Wigwam River in British Columbia and Grave Creek in Montana are important for determining harvest quotas. Over the past six years, redd counts had been fairly steady in both streams, according to the press release, but in the fall of 2019 spawning redds in both streams declined substantially. The decline prompted concerns that limited angler harvest could have population-scale impacts.

Bull trout are native to rivers, streams and lakes in the Columbia and Saskatchewan river basins. According to the press release, the decline in bull-trout abundance and distribution has been caused by habitat loss and degradation from land and water management practices, and population isolation and fragmentation from dams and other barriers, among other reasons.