Picture: Spend A Day Touring, LLC/Flickr
The Huge Gap River, in southwest Montana, has been on the forefront of conservation efforts for the previous few years as a result of its rapidly-declining trout inhabitants. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP), scientists from Montana State College, and anxious guides and outfitters have labored collectively to check the Huge Gap and provide potential options for this storied fishery.
MFWP has simply launched the outcomes of their 2024 sampling efforts all through the higher Missouri River Basin—which incorporates the Ruby, Huge Gap, Beaverhead, and Jefferson Rivers. Whereas there’s some optimistic information, many stakeholders within the space are calling for extra motion on behalf of the area’s trout populations.
“An awesome majority of trout from rivers within the higher Missouri River Basin are wholesome,” MFWP stated in a press launch.
Intensive fish well being sampling happened within the Huge Gap, Ruby, and Beaverhead Rivers all through 2024. This included fish tagging and creel surveys. Throughout this sampling, which happened in spring and fall, lower than one p.c of fish confirmed indicators of an infection. Of the practically 5,000 juvenile fish (not sufficiently old to breed) noticed, none confirmed any indicators of an infection.
“It’s encouraging that the majority fish in final yr’s sampling efforts within the basin appeared wholesome,” stated Mike Duncan, FWP’s fisheries program supervisor in Area 3. “We’ll proceed to observe trout well being carefully in 2025.”
Brown trout redds additionally elevated within the Huge Gap River. MFWP counted 156 redds close to Melrose, up from 108 redds counted in 2023.
Tagging trout permits the MFWP to trace fish motion all through the river, and paints an image of fish mortality from exterior components, as properly. MFWP tagged practically 12,000 trout all through the higher Missouri River Basin, and roughly 1,300 of these trout have been caught and reported by anglers.
“Anglers who report catching tagged fish are serving to biologists and MSU research trout inhabitants declines in components of the basin,” MFWP stated. “Fish managers can use angling and annual sampling as methods to measure how environmental components like flows and water temperatures are affecting fish populations by species, age class, waterbody and time of yr.”
Flows, water temperature, and water high quality are nonetheless points that haven’t been adequately addressed, in response to Save Wild Trout.
Save Wild Trout is a coalition of guides, outfitters, and anglers in southwest Montana. Wade Fellin is a member of Save Wild Trout and proprietor of the Huge Gap Lodge. Fellin made this assertion to MidCurrent:
“Save Wild Trout appreciates Montana FWP’s continued examination of why trout populations on the Huge Gap, the decrease Beaverhead, and Ruby have collapsed to historic lows. We stay up for additional outcomes from the opposite research in progress, together with identification of the illness afflicting trout earlier within the season than the late season timing of this pattern set. Nobody desires to see or catch diseased and dying wild trout, so discovering fewer than anticipated is sweet information, nevertheless it shouldn’t divert consideration from the larger concern at this crucial juncture: FWP’s inhabitants research present now we have unsustainable declines in wild trout fisheries in SW Montana.
“‘Greatest obtainable science on the rivers supporting SW Montana’s wild trout exhibits deteriorating and unsuitable habitat for aquatic life. These unhealthy circumstances level to the necessity for motion by Montana’s management and different businesses, together with DEQ and DNRC, to assist protect one of many final wild trout populations within the Decrease 48. Far too usually river monitoring is displaying water high quality circumstances dangerous for wild trout, together with extreme nutrient air pollution, excessive water temperatures, and low dissolved oxygen––all of which proceed to be unaddressed.’ – Wade Fellin, Save Wild Trout.
“Half a decade of water high quality information from the Huge Gap River Basis (BHRF) and preliminary information from Save Wild Trout point out we’re witnessing the cumulative impacts of power pressure on fish well being as a result of poor environmental circumstances, excessive water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen ranges, and unhealthy nutrient air pollution ranges. These components lead to physiological stress within the fish and bug life by negatively impacting respiration, replica, and development whereas rising susceptibility to pathogens.”
