Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking public comment on plans to remove and cull invasive fish populations in lakes, streams and ponds across the state.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission held a virtual work session on Tuesday and settled on a list of 22 fish removal and restoration projects planned for the 2021 field season, including half a dozen in Region 1, which covers Flathead, Lake, Sanders and Lincoln counties.

Fishery managers use a variety of methods to kill or remove nonnative fish, including electrofishing, gill-netting and fish-killing chemicals such as rotenone, which temporarily leave some waterways fishless until native species are reintroduced. The goal is to reduce competition and the risk of hybridization for native species.

Some of the projects have been ongoing for several years, and all undergo stringent environmental assessments, though some have raised concerns about temporary loss of fishing opportunities and impacts on people, livestock and other wildlife.

Projects in the northwest region of the state will affect trout varieties in seven tributaries of the Flathead River, Swan Lake and tributaries to the Swan River including Cooney, Red Butte and Smith creeks.

Fourteen of the projects required the Fish and Wildlife Commission's approval on Tuesday because of a change to the department's legal procedures, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

An FWP spokesman told the Chronicle that department leaders recently determined all projects involving fish removal must be approved by the commission. That determination stemmed from a legal review related to Senate Bill 360, which requires the department to complete a review of its state fisheries management plan by 2023, considering public input in the process. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill last month.

Project descriptions and instructions for submitting comments can be found at fwp.mt.gov/conservation/fisheries-management/removal-projects. Comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. on June 3.

Reporter Chad Sokol can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected]