This Board includes both state and tribal interests, appointed by the Governor and Tribal Council. This co-management planning document addresses the interconnected fisheries of Flathead Lake, the Flathead River and its tributaries upstream to its forks, the Swan River downstream from Bigfork Dam, the South Fork downstream from Hungry Horse Dam, the Middle Fork, and the North Fork upstream to the Canadian Border. The planning document does not cover fisheries in the Flathead River downstream from Kerr Dam. Fish and aquatic communities have changed dramatically over the last decade. Lake trout have increased in numbers and now make up most of the recreational fishery.
Lake whitefish are very numerous.
Native species such as bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout have declined. With the establishment of Mysis and growth of the lake trout population, angling limits on lake trout were increased. These angling-limit changes illustrate the strategy followed by FWP and CSKT managers to address increasing numbers of lake trout and decreasing numbers of native fish. The lake's food web is unstable, calling for a new, flexible management plan based on adaptive management. It allows for immediate changes in management direction as research results come in and knowledge increases.