Feds fund lake fisheries program

SPOKANE (AP) — The federal government has signed a $39.5 million deal with the Kalispel Tribe to help improve stocks of native bull trout and westlope cutthroat trout in the Lake Pend Oreille watershed.

The Spokesman-Review reports (http://bit.ly/NwW0l6 ) money will be spent on a variety of projects over the next decade to improve habitat and conditions in the region for both species.

Populations of bull trout and westlope cutthroat trout have declined since the Albeni Falls Dam was built in the watershed in the 1950s. The accord signed by the tribe and three federal agencies, including the Bonneville Power Administration, will focus on improving fish passage over the dam and injecting cooler water into the watershed in summer.

Money will also be spent on acquiring habitat and removing predatory fish from tributary streams.