Walleye public comment extended into April
Montana Senator Jennifer Fielder weighed in on the debate over the proposal to suppress the walleye population in Noxon Reservoir during a visit to the Plains annual trade fair at Plains High School on Saturday.
Sen. Fielder sat down with the Valley Press to voice her opinion over the proposal that has generated controversy toward the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s assessment that the walleye population is an illegally introduced, invasive species that threatens other native fisheries.
The FWP’s proposal has many in the community concerned over a plan that would eradicate what they see as a viable and desirable walleye fishery. Concern also exists over the potential economic impact from the loss of dollars from those anglers who come to the area specifically to fish for walleye.
Sen. Fielder expressed concern about a proposal that she believes has not undergone enough public and scientific scrutiny.
According to Fielder, “I’ve been hearing a lot of concern from people in this area over removing a fish that many people come here to catch. I’ve been working on this since early January and the people that I have had looking into this can’t find solid evidence of why they should remove the walleye.”
Fielder continued, “I’m trying to keep an open mind and listen to the FWP about their reasons behind this. The comment period has been extended to allow the issue to be brought before the Region 1 Citizens Advisory Council, which I think is a good thing.”
Region 1 Supervisor Jim Satterfield said the deadline for public comment was extended for a number of reasons.
“We received over 250 comments and a petition on the project. We also received a number of requests for a comment period extension to review the technical background of the environmental assessment. Given the level of controversy surrounding this issue, I am extending the comment period,” said Satterfield.
The petition drafted by the Noxon Warm Water Fishery Association, a non-profit organization created by concerned citizens to promote the responsible management of warm water fisheries, asked for a 90-day extension.
According to Satterfield, “I think a three week extension is fair. It provides for additional opportunities to comment and time for us to analyze the comments and respond to the issues.”
In response to the extension, Fielder said, “I think FWP is realizing that this is a bigger deal than they anticipated and it looks like they are taking extra steps to allow the public to be involved in this decision before a decision is made. I think there is good information sharing going on now between citizens and the department.”
The extension provided by the FWP will allow the Citizens Advisory Council for Region 1 to further analyze the walleye proposal. According to the FWP website, the councils were established to, “help Fish, Wildlife and Parks to be responsive and responsible public-resource managers. Citizen advisors can help the department operate efficiently and effectively within the constraints of the law, FWP Commission rules and department policy. While CAC recommendations are welcome, the primary role of the group is to offer informed advice to the department and to participate in honest, open and respectful dialog. Recommendation and advice must be legal, in accordance with policy and fiscally responsible. The CAC will be strictly advisory, and recommendations are neither legally nor administratively binding.”
The deadline for public comment is now Friday, April 19. Satterfield urged interested parties to read the environmental assessment that can be found on the FWP website at www.mt.gov. Comments can be submitted by e-mail at this site or mailed to any FWP field office. The CAC will meet on April 10 at 7 p.m. at the FWP regional office in Kalispell to discuss the EA and the proposal, at which point any recommendations will be forwarded to Satterfield who will make a decision regarding the suppression of the walleye in Noxon Reservoir. The CAC meeting is open to the public.