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Abstract
The Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR) is home to a trout population that is highly variable in both time and space. Once completely devoid of fish, past improvements in water quality facilitated the establishment of a brown trout fishery. However, this fishery still exhibits a boom and bust pattern and continues to be impacted by legacy mining contamination and other water quality issues. Over the years Montana, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has partnered with other agencies, NGOs, and Montana Universities to study factors limiting trout and other aquatic life in the UCFR. With trout abundance currently lower than is has been in almost 50 years, what do we know about the causes for the decline and what restoration actions can be taken to reverse the trend?
Start Date
2-3-2021 10:15 AM
End Date
2-3-2021 10:30 AM
Document Type
Video
Cook presentation: video transcript
The highs and lows of upper Clark Fork River trout populations
The Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR) is home to a trout population that is highly variable in both time and space. Once completely devoid of fish, past improvements in water quality facilitated the establishment of a brown trout fishery. However, this fishery still exhibits a boom and bust pattern and continues to be impacted by legacy mining contamination and other water quality issues. Over the years Montana, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks has partnered with other agencies, NGOs, and Montana Universities to study factors limiting trout and other aquatic life in the UCFR. With trout abundance currently lower than is has been in almost 50 years, what do we know about the causes for the decline and what restoration actions can be taken to reverse the trend?