A survey of the commercial fisheries on the mainstem reservoirs of the Missouri River in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota was made in 1966* The objective of the study was to obtain basic information of use in the management of commercial fisheries that are developing in these waters and to identify biological problems significant to these new fisheries.
Each commercial fishery is described as to types and specification of gear, species caught, seasons of fishing, catch per unit of effort, licensing by the states, habitat of species, indications of depletion, and special problems affecting the development of the commercial fisheries. The preparation of fish for market, holding facilities, prices and records kept are briefly discussed.
There is a paucity of basic scientific information in this region that can be immediately drawn upon and used in the management of the developing fisheries. There are no indications of depletion recognized. The exploitation of commercial fish populations can apparently be increased many-fold. Current problems in the expansion of the fisheries appear to be in the economics of operation and in marketing rather than in the absolute abundance of potentially eoramercial species