Montana's lakes, rivers and streams constitute a multi-million dollar resource which we all enjoy. Our sport fisheries are among the finest in the world. However, when people illegally introduce fish to these waters, they jeopardize those fisheries.
Illegal introductions cause serious problems.
Fish like carp, yellow perch, suckers, shiners, sunfish and even certain game fish can severely affect a sport fishery. So, when people move live fish from one body of water to another, the future of their own fishing is at stake. Some of the earliest fisheries management in the United States centered around the introduction of game fish. Those introduced trout are the foundation for Montana's internationally famous fishing. Our waters have also been planted with northern pike, walleye, bass, crappie, sunfish, golden trout, salmon, yellow perch and carp, among others.