Trout Die Off In Wyoming

[Mitch f]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/us-suffocated-trout-idUSTRE75F0B020110616?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[flyrodman]

Wow, you would think they would have a backup plan in case something like this happened. Very unfortunate.

[Al Agnew]

Gotta wonder how much of a difference it will really make in the South Fork, though. The fish are grown to stock in Palisades, where a lot of them are caught and kept if I'm not mistaken. The escapees into the river below should be adding to an existing population, but since the South Fork is excellent trout water that's mainly catch and release, the native population should be strong enough to sustain the fishery.

[Outside Bend]

Not sure about the South Fork specifically, but in Wyoming most hatchery fish are stocked in systems with poor reproduction- mainly tailwaters and lake systems with poor spawning habitat. Most of the state's free-flowing fisheries are naturally self-sustaining, and shouldn't be affected. But there's a lot of tourism dollars invested in those tailwaters, and this coupled with the crazy weather out there this summer certainly won't help that industry.