FWP Investigating Illegal Pike Introduction at Kalispell’s Pine Grove Pond

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) officials are investigating the illegal introduction of a northern pike into Pine Grove Pond, where the invasion of an aggressive nonnative fish could decimate resident trout species and eliminate angling opportunities at one of the region’s most popular family fishing sites. FWP fisheries biologists learned about the presence of northern pike last fall when an angler caught one and posted a widely shared photo to social media. The angler who captured the pike unknowingly released it, prompting FWP officials to urge anglers to kill and submit any northern pike or other nonnative fish species caught in Pine Grove to FWP’s Kalispell office. Pine...