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Non-native brown trout detected in Flathead River, FWP seeks additional information • Daily Montanan [1]

['Daily Montanan Staff', 'Micah Drew', 'More From Author', '- July', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img']

Date: 2025-07

State wildlife officials on Monday confirmed the presence of a non-native brown trout in the Flathead River basin, according to a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

An angler caught a brown trout in the Flathead River upstream of Pressentine Fishing Access Site in early June, and the department is encouraging anglers to report any additional brown trout caught in the drainage.

“Protecting our native trout populations is a priority,” FWP Regional Fisheries Manager Mike Hensler said in the press release. “Brown trout pose a threat to native species in the Flathead drainage, and we need the public’s help to manage this invasive species.”

Brown trout can harm native trout species, such as bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, by outcompeting them for resources and preying on juvenile fish.

Montana FWP is deploying environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling technology to assess the extent of brown trout presence in the Flathead River and tributaries. This method will help identify areas where brown trout may be present, guiding future management actions.

FWP strongly urges anglers who catch a brown trout in the Flathead River or its tributaries to kill the fish immediately and report the catch to the FWP Region 1 office at 406-752-5501. Anglers are asked to provide the fish as well as the location and date of the catch to assist in monitoring efforts. The species can be identified by their golden brown to yellow-brown color, with dark spots often surrounded by lighter halos, and sometimes with red or orange spots.

In Montana it is illegal to relocate live fish from one waterbody to another, and doing so can result in fines or imprisonment, as well as forfeiture of fishing and hunting licenses.

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[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/non-native-brown-trout-detected-in-flathead-river-fwp-seeks-additional-information/

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