Despite heavy budget cuts in the Fisheries Division of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), Mineral and Sanders counties will still see lakes and ponds stocked with approximately 432,000 fish over the next five years. Fish, Wildlife and Parks owns or operates 12 fish hatcheries and stocks 50 million fish in 836 lakes and reservoirs, and 23 rivers and streams annually.

The department took a $1 million budget cut from its $25 million budget for 2018-19. This includes a $100,000 cut in the fishing stocking program. The cuts result from a decline in federal revenue the state receives through the Dingell-Johnson Act. This is revenue raised from a fee attached to the sale of fishing tackle and equipment and distributed to states for fishing programs.

Nationally, there has been a decline in fishing license sales according to a 2017 FWP report. Which indicates fewer people fishing which results in the decline of fishing equipment.

The 2018 FWP Fisheries Division State Hatchery report lists the stocking reductions which affect 150 Montana waterbodies and totals 575,000 fewer fish being stocked per year over the next five years. Some of the area lakes and ponds affected include Frog Pond in Sanders County, which will see a reduction from 1,000 stocked fish to 500 in 2018.

Savenac’s McGee Point Pond will be reduced from 200 to 100 in 2018, and St. Regis Community Park will also be reduced from 200 to 100. Thompson Park Pond will go from 500 to 250 in 2018, and Triangle Pond will receive 500 in 2018 and 2019, down from 1,000 12-inch trout, as well as a reduction of brood trout from 125 to 50 in 2018. Frenchtown Pond located east of Alberton will receive 1,500 10-inch trout, reduced from 3,000 in 2018 and 2019, and down 100 brood trout from 200.

Overall, Mineral County’s lakes and ponds will be stocked with 13,650 trout over the next five years, and Sanders County will be stocked with 418,500 trout. This includes Missoula Lake, which will receive a total of 3,000 Westslope Cutthroat trout; 1,000 each year in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Cliff Lake will get 1,500 Westslope Cutthroats in 2019, 600 in Crystal Lake, and 500 in each Crater and Square Lake. Copper, Hazel, Heart and Lower St. Regis Lakes will receive 300 cutthroats in 2019.

In Sanders County, Corona Lake will be stocked with 6,000 Arctic grayling each year and Lower Thompson Lake will get 50,000 Kokanee each year as well as 20,000 rainbow trout each year from 2020 to 2022. Triangle Pond will be stocked with 12,550 varying size rainbow over the next five years.

Lower Blossom Lake will get 2,400 cutthroat in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and Stony Lake will receive 2,000 cutthroat during those same years.