. Biennial report, Montana Game and Fish Commission, State of Montana. Montana Fish and Game Commission; Game protection; Wildlife conservation; Fisheries. This is o portion of the North Fork of the Teto following the June, 1964 flood. I Photo by U. S. Forest Service) The Centennial Flood During 1964, the year of Montana's Terri- torial Centennial, a June flood devastated the state from northern Lewis and Clark County to Glacier Park on both sides of the Continental Divide. This, the largest flood ever recorded for the area, resulted from rainfall which ap- proached the theoretical amount poss
. Biennial report, Montana Game and Fish Commission, State of Montana. Montana Fish and Game Commission; Game protection; Wildlife conservation; Fisheries. This is o portion of the North Fork of the Teto following the June, 1964 flood. I Photo by U. S. Forest Service) The Centennial Flood During 1964, the year of Montana's Terri- torial Centennial, a June flood devastated the state from northern Lewis and Clark County to Glacier Park on both sides of the Continental Divide. This, the largest flood ever recorded for the area, resulted from rainfall which ap- proached the theoretical amount possible for a given period. It came at a time when the streams were already full with water from melting snow. Sixteen inches of rain fell in 36 hours in one area. Water swept down the Flathead, Marias, Teton, Sun, Dearborn and other rivers taking 34 lives, leaving thousands homeless, and causing damage in excess of 60 million dollars.' Concern was expressed for fish in the flood area. It con be assumed that newly hatched fish-of-the-year in flood streams fared badly and that some older fish were killed from va- rious causes such as being stranded. No doubt, I A complete report on the flood will be published by the U. S. Geological Survey os o woter supply paper. stream scouring played havoc with trout food insects which dwell on stream bottoms. Fish, however, have for eons survived re- peated onslaughts of nature—too much water, too little water, and temperature extremes dur- ing crucial periods. Losses of year classes and other catastrophies are common to fish popu- lations. Due to the tremendous reproductive capacity of fish—an average female trout lays 1,500 eggs annually—the loss of a year class is only a minor disaster and even decimated fish populations soon recover. Consequently, after the 1964 flood, fishing soon returned to normal except on those streams where the necessary environment for fish survival and reproduction was destroyed. Destruction of stream channels
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectfisheries, bookyear19
