JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Fisheries, national parks reps, and wildlife biologists are sounding the alarm after an angler caught a smallmouth bass near the border of Yellowstone National Park.
The unnamed angler caught a smallmouth bass on Feb. 19 while fishing on the Gardner River at its confluence with the Yellowstone River, just outside of Yellowstone National Park. Smallmouth bass are not native to this area, and an established population could pose threats to native fish in the upper Yellowstone River and others.
How the bass arrived at this location is unknown. It is illegal for people to move live fish from one waterbody to another without prior authorization from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
The news drew interest from Yellowstone’s lead fisheries biologist Todd Koel.
“Smallmouth bass are an invasive predatory species that will threaten our wild and native trout populations if they become established in the upper Yellowstone River. Since anglers are highly effective at suppressing invasive fish in waters where they coexist with native species such as cutthroat trout, they will be required to kill and report any smallmouth bass caught in Yellowstone National Park when the fishing season opens Memorial Day weekend,” Koel said. “Additionally, over the next few weeks, biologists will monitor [Gardner and Yellowstone rivers] closely to gauge the possible extent of the invasion. Our goal is to protect native fish populations and natural ecosystems. We will do everything in our power to prevent the establishment of smallmouth bass in the park and prevent them from preying on and displacing trout and other native fish.”
Anglers have previously reported finding smallmouth bass in two locations on the upper Yellowstone River in the past seven years. Two smallmouth bass were caught at the Highway 89 bridge downstream of Livingston, and one near Emigrant. One smallmouth bass has also been found in the Shields River, a tributary to the Yellowstone east of Livingston.
FWP fisheries staff have not found smallmouth bass during yearly sampling efforts in the upper Yellowstone River.
Until any proposed rules can be implemented, anglers are asked to voluntarily kill, remove, and document any smallmouth bass caught in the Yellowstone River and its tributaries between the Springdale Fishing Access Site east of Livingston upstream to the Yellowstone National Park boundary and provide them to FWP for testing.
