Concern over high paddlefish harvest in eastern Montana is motivating a number of proposed changes to snagging regulations on both the lower Yellowstone and Missouri rivers and the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir. FWP fishery biologists believe the high paddlefish harvest cannot be sustained over time without causing a decline in the population.

Three public meetings are scheduled for next week to collect public comments on the proposed changes, which would take effect March 1 st   for the 2007-08 fishing season. Comments must be received by Sept. 15. The rules will be finalized Oct. 19 at the Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission meeting in Miles City.

Nearly a decade of drought has suppressed paddlefish reproduction in eastern Montana and the draft regulation changes are designed to reduce harvest on older, sexually mature spawners. Specifically, the proposals would limit snaggers to one paddlefish per season, and paddlefishers would be required to choose one of three areas: the upper Missouri River, the lower Missouri River below Fort Peck dam and the Yellowstone River, or the Dredge Cuts below Fort Peck Dam where archery equipment could be used to harvest paddlefish. Paddlefish are designated as a species of concern in Montana.

Here are the specific paddlefishing proposals :

On the Missouri River above Fort Peck Lake, including the popular Fred Robinson Bridge access, snaggers would be limited to one fish per season. Previously snaggers could harvest two fish. The restriction is designed to reduce harvest on spawning adults, says Bill Wiedenheft, FWP’s Region 6 fisheries manager.

“Our field data indicates that anglers harvest approximately 1,000 fish a year on the upper Missouri,” says Wiedenheft. “We estimate the total population of fish at somewhere around 20,000, and we’re concerned about overharvesting the adult segment of that population. We’ve had a decade of drought and recruitment of young fish has not been good. Natural reproduction isn’t keeping up with harvest.”

Under the proposed Upper Missouri regulations, there would be no harvest quota, but harvest would be limited to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Catch-and-release snagging would be required during those same hours on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. The river from Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton would remain open to paddlefish snagging all year.

On the Yellowstone River and the Missouri River below Fort Peck Dam, the paddlefishing season would close immediately at Intake Dam Fishing Access Site when 800 paddlefish have been harvested, and/or within 24 hours if it appears the harvest will exceed 1,000 fish. The Yellowstone/Lower Missouri season is managed jointly with North Dakota, which also has a harvest quota of 1,000 fish.

Paddlefish harvest on the Yellowstone and Lower Missouri would also be limited to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the set dates for the paddlefish season, which usually are May 15-June 30. Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays would be limited to catch-and-release fishing during those same daylight hours.

Finally, the proposed changes include a new opportunity for paddlefishers using archery equipment. A bow-and-arrow paddlefish season would run July 15-Aug. 31 in the Fort Peck Dredge Cuts below Fort Peck Dam. Previously this opportunity wasn’t possible once the 1,000-fish quota was reached on the Lower Missouri/Yellowstone River.

According to the proposal, snaggers would have to designate which area they intend to fish when they buy the paddlefish tag and they would be limited to that specific area or opportunity.

FWP is hosting a trio of meetings on the draft fishing regulations. Meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12 in Billings at FWP’s Region 5 headquarters; Wednesday, Sept. 13 in Miles City at Miles Community College in Room 106; and Thursday, Sept. 14 in Glendive at Dawson Community College’s Lecture Hall (Room 102). All meetings are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m.

FWP will accept comments on the draft fishing regulation changes through Sept. 15. The tentative changes are available for review on the FWP web site at <http://fwp.mt.gov/news/article_4746.aspx> . Comments may be mailed to Karen Zackheim at FWP, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620 or emailed to kzackheim@mt.gov <mailto:kzackheim@mt.gov>