Commission reinstates 2021 kokanee regulations on Georgetown Lake

HELENA - The Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reinstate the previous 2021 Georgetown Lake kokanee salmon regulations of no daily or possession limit to be effective immediately.

At its October 2021 meeting, the commission adopted the Western District fishing regulation for kokanee salmon of 20 daily and 40 in possession for the 2022 Fishing Regulations, which went into effect March 1, 2022. FWP recommended a limit on kokanee salmon in Georgetown as a cautionary move last year because sampling data from the fall of 2020 and winter of 2021 showed average fish size was increasing, which can be an indicator that the number of fish is declining. The Georgetown Lake kokanee regulation limit was part of the 2022 Fishing Regulations package presented to the commission as a proposal in August. The department took public comment from Aug. 27 to Sept. 26. And while no comments were received on the Georgetown proposal during that time, the department recently become aware of public input that was missed during the review process.

The regulation was reconsidered at the April 2022 commission meeting as a result. Additionally, data from the 2021 fisheries sampling season and input from anglers in the winter of 2022 showed a good number of young fish entering the population, which allowed flexibility between re-instating the no limit or keeping the standard limit. FWP biologists will continue monitoring to see if future adjustments to the regulations are needed.