For those considering building a pond, several sources of information are listed in the references at the end of this guide. The purpose of this handbook is to provide the prospective pond builder with an overview of the process of planning, permitting, constructing, and managing a successful private fish pond. We hope the handbook will allow the reader to be informed enough to seek appropriate assistance and ask the right questions. This is not a "do-it-yourself" manual. FWP believes that the risks to both the pond builder and the public fisheries are too great for this task to be undertaken without professional advice. The history of faulty private fish ponds in Montana is still with us and, in this era of renewed popularity, it is imperative that ponds be properly built and managed. A professional fishery biologist should always be consulted. Private fishery consultants are listed in telephone directories, they can be located on the internet, or a list is available at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) headquarters. Since most private ponds are not open to the public, State fisheries biologists generally cannot help with private pond planning.

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