Benefits of Native Fish

Bull trout are the top native predators of the upper Columbia River system, of which Glacier National Park's western slopes reside in. But bull trout are faced with a slew of challenges, including competition from invasive lake trout. Discover how fisheries managers in Glacier are tackling these challenges and making efforts to save some of the last viable bull trout populations and habitat in the Northwest.

Three years after implementing Phase 1 of Muir Woods’ salmon habitat enhancement project upstream of Bridge 3, Redwood Creek’s ability to support coho juveniles has vastly improved. Water Year (WY; from October to September) 2021-2022’s annual monitoring report showed increased winter habitat density, more natural sediment deposition, and changes in woody debris placements that led to habitat improvements.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Fish are an important part of aquatic ecosystems. They are an integral part of food webs; some are herbivores and others are carnivores. Nearly 30 species of fish inhabit the waters of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. However, only eight of these species are native. Of the eight native fish species in Glen Canyon, four are listed as Endangered Species, and four are part of a conservation/management effort by local states.

On the Green River, scientists are helping ensure that solving one problem doesn’t cause another for native fish. Analyzing long-term monitoring data collected in Dinosaur National Monument allowed them to suggest modifications to proposed experimental flows from Flaming Gorge Dam. The modifications may provide long-term benefits to Colorado pikeminnow.

Five miles outside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park in Montana, a ghost from the past plagued the park for decades. Take a visual journey in this GIS story map through the remarkable cleanup of mine-contaminated Soda Butte Creek on the park's boundary, which ultimately restored the creek's native Yellowstone cutthroat trout fishery.

The Redwood Creek Salmon Habitat Enhancement Project as part of the Redwood Renewal effort, will remove a portion of the rock walls, or “riprap,” that line the creek banks upstream of Bridge 3, and use fallen trees from the forest floor to create fish habitat. Over time, the natural movement of water will finish the job of transforming Redwood Creek from its current hardened state to a more complex, natural, and healthy stream ecosystem.

Did you know that trout spend 80% of their day foraging for food? Learn more about these fascinating creatures.

Shorts are articles that summarize the results of recent scientific publications or highlight human interest stories occurring in the GYE. In this issue they discuss Fly Fishing Volunteers, an editorial by Nate Schweber, and birds and mammals that eat cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake and its tributaries.

The northern portion of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is a valuable stronghold for native fish; it presents many opportunities to protect and restore them where they have been impacted by human activities. More than 3,700 km (2,299 mi.) of streams drain into the Yellowstone River and flow north into Montana (figure 1). The Lamar River drainage alone contains over 1,792 km (1,113 mi.) of streams and accounts for almost 20% of the stream distance in YNP ...

The Madison and Gallatin rivers, two major headwaters of the Missouri River, originate in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) along the western boundary (figure 1). Combined, these two rivers provide 1,031 km (640 mi.) of stream habitat for both westslope cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling in YNP. Indigenous westslope cutthroat trout currently occupy 2 km (1.2 mi.) of stream within their historic range in the park, while resident grayling were extirpated from the park by 1935...