The current catch of a smallmouth bass in Montana’s Gardner River has Yellowstone Nationwide Park biologists deeply involved a couple of attainable “invasion” of the non-native species.
The bass was caught Feb. 19 close to the Gardner River’s confluence with the Yellowstone River, simply north of the park.
In a Wednesday information launch, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) defined that a longtime inhabitants of smallmouth bass within the area “may pose threats to native fish within the higher Yellowstone River.”
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Additionally on Wednesday, Todd Koel, lead fisheries biologist for Yellowstone Nationwide Park, responded to information of the catch with this assertion:
“Smallmouth bass are an invasive predatory species that can threaten our wild and native trout populations in the event that they change into established within the higher Yellowstone River.
“Since anglers are extremely efficient at suppressing invasive fish in waters the place they coexist with native species akin to cutthroat trout, they are going to be required to kill and report any smallmouth bass caught in Yellowstone Nationwide Park when the fishing season opens Memorial Day weekend.
“Moreover, Yellowstone Nationwide Park and USGS biologists will likely be sampling the Gardner and Yellowstone rivers, upstream of the place the invasive smallmouth bass was caught. Over the subsequent few weeks, biologists will monitor these rivers intently to gauge the attainable extent of the invasion.
“Our purpose is to guard native fish populations and pure ecosystems. We are going to do the whole lot in our energy to forestall the institution of smallmouth bass within the park and stop them from preying on and displacing trout and different native fish.”
It’s not clear how the smallmouth bass bought into the Gardner River, nevertheless it may need concerned an unlawful switch of bass from one other waterbody.
The FWP said that earlier smallmouth bass catches have been reported in two different places on the higher Yellowstone River through the previous seven years. One other catch was reported within the Shields River, a tributary to the Yellowstone River east of Livingston.
The company added, nonetheless, that yearly sampling initiatives haven’t turned up any smallmouth bass.
The free-flowing Yellowstone River is without doubt one of the world’s premier fly-fishing locations for wild and native trout.
–Smallmouth bass picture is courtesy of Yellowstone Nationwide Park
