Public Comment. Volume III - Montana Legislature

Impact Analysis Studies and Proposed Mitigation Approach Page 3
2.0 Current Production Level
MCFH produces fiy, fingerling, and catchable size fish for reservoir stocking and
research activities. Production has increased significantly over the years, and the hatchery
is currently capable of producing approximately 70 million fish per year of various sizes
and species. Although MCFH produces mainly walleye, bass, and northern pike, they are
also called upon to supplement forage fish supplies, cold water species, and other species
as required by MT DFWP regional biologists.
Production success is often defined as the number of fish that are reared to a given size
by species compared to the number of eggs or fish with which the hatchery begins each
production run (Piper et al. 1982). For example, if the hatchery receives 1000 eggs and
. rears 900 of them to the first stockable size, then they have achieved 90% production
success for that stage. For bass species, production success is measured in terms of the
number of fry produced per breeding pair. Fish hatcheries are biological systems and
production success can be highly variable. Climate, water quality, egg coddition, feed
quality and supply, and stock density are just a few of the many factors that can affect
how well a year class of fish does at a hatchery (Piper et al. 1982). In addition, MCFH
has experienced significant growth and construction since its initial dedication as a warmwater
hatchery, and has only recently been able to settle into a consistent routine for its
annual production cycle. All of these factors contribute to the wide variation in the
number of fish and species produced at MCFH from year to year (Table 1).
Table 1 summarizes total production for some of the more commonly reared species at
the hatchery, and is included to illustrate the annual variation in numbers and proportion
for each species. Table 1 lists continuous records from 1985 through 1999.
Table 1.
Summary of annual production of all life stages reared for walleye,
northern pike, bass, and chinook salmon based on records from 1985 to
1999, at the Miles City Fish Hatchery, Montana. Blank cells indicate
years where a species was not produced.
Year 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Fish Species
Walleye 13,324,192 12,520,974 2,400 32,864,944 4 1,908,702
Northern pike 3,725,050 7,15 1,625 2,675,000 171,752
Largemouth bass 85,454 600,638 - 518,300. 300,9 10
-,.
Smallmouth bass 62,185 , 248,640
Chinook salmon
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