Members of Flathead Wildlife Inc. are meeting in Kalispell this week to discuss a plan from the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes to gill-net lake trout on Flathead lake.
The state and tribal co-management plan for the lake expires later this year, and the tribes say gill netting would help native bull trout by reducing the number of non-native lake trout. The tribes want to reduce the number of lake trout by 80,000 in 2011 and by 100,000 the year after.
But gill netting is controversial, and opponents say it could result in unintended environmental consequences and destroy the lake’s most popular fishery.
Leaders of Flathead Wildlife Inc. have sent a letter to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks opposing the gill net plan.
The club’s meeting is set for Thursday evening.