Historically Low Trout Numbers in SW Montana's Jefferson Basin
Trout populations in SW Montana's Jefferson Basin, including the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, and Jefferson rivers, have reached historic lows with a significant decline in the recruitment of young trout. The lack of action from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and the Gianforte Administration has endangered these renowned cold-water fisheries. Urgent measures are needed to ensure the future sustainability of these fisheries, which support numerous jobs in the region. Today, we’ll hear from Wade Fellin of the Big Hole Lodge about the extent of this issue and what can be done to help save these rivers.
Introduce yourself, what is your background?
Wade: I’m a fifth-generation Montanan deeply rooted in the Big Hole Valley and Southwest Montana. My mom and dad founded Big Hole Lodge in 1984 and I was born and raised there. I’ve guided the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, and Jefferson rivers for the past 17 years and my conservation ethic stems from the same sources of clean, readily available water that attracted my ancestors to the Big Hole Valley, and later led me to study environmental and water law at the University of Montana. In addition to guiding and managing Big Hole Lodge, I am the program director at Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and active board member of the Big Hole River Foundation. I hold a BSBA from Bucknell University and a JD from the University of Montana School of Law.
What issues are the Big Hole and other surrounding rivers currently facing?
Wade: Recent fish surveys confirmed our worst fears, one of the last intact cold water fisheries in the lower 48, the Jefferson Basin, comprised of the Big Hole, lower-Beaverhead, and Ruby rivers have hit historic low populations of wild trout. With fish dying in June for a third consecutive year and a weak young-of-year recruitment, it’s only going to get worse before it can get better.
Both rainbow and brown trout numbers have crashed and we really don’t know why. Native cutthroat and grayling numbers are so low in the mainstem Big Hole they aren’t even counting them anymore. We’ve seen sick whitefish, but their numbers aren’t crashing like the trout.
So far it seems similar basins in Montana are not seeing the dramatic and historic crash like the Big Hole, lower-Beaverhead, and Ruby, but the Jefferson Basin is our canary in the coal mine.
While climate change - warmer temps, warmer waters, and low flows - is the elephant in the room, it is not the only factor at play. We have a multitude of troubling conditions - variable snowpack and dewatered rivers, increased development pressure and nutrient pollution, noxious algal blooms, warming temperatures, under-studied diseases and mortality, and increased recreational pressure - but no clear answer to how, and why, SW Montana’s wild trout are suddenly on the brink.
How did you get involved in the push to collect more scientific data on these rivers?
Wade: Everyone who loves nature has a stake in working to maintain and protect our rivers, waterways, and fisheries. We couldn’t sit by as conditions worsen, and we knew swift action was necessary to protect the fisheries we all value. So, I immediately reached out to local and national stakeholders to pool resources, funding, and expertise and formed the Save Wild Trout coalition.
Montana is no longer the hidden gem that it used to be, and if we continue to operate by looking in the rearview mirror, we are sure to experience more crashes in our future. SWT is working to develop solutions to the crisis at hand but also build resiliency in our trout fisheries to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.
It’s important for the fly fishing industry to support this effort. Forming a task force of interdisciplinary scientists who will work outside the bounds of bureaucracy and toward a model for success for this fishery will benefit all cold-water fisheries and the entire fly fishing community.
What actions need to be taken to mitigate the decline of the Big Hole and surrounding rivers?
Wade: First, we can’t manage what we don’t know. FWP doesn’t yet know what disease(s) and/or viruses might be killing off wild trout and the fishery.
Step one is to identify all the factors and diseases plaguing the trout. SWT is working with FWP to develop a plan for conducting disease and pathogen testing on living ‘zombie’ trout. It’s not yet clear whether existing, known pathogens are at play, a new pathogen is present, or some other factor is affecting the zombie fish appearing during spring and high water and fall spawning, so testing is a critical first step.
Private-public partnerships and natural resource agencies need a coordinated approach to identify the causes of the collapse and develop data-driven solutions. SWT is collaborating with FWP and the Governor’s Office to fill in any gaps, offer interdisciplinary expertise, and work together toward a solution for SW Montana’s cold water fisheries. Nobody wants a dead river. Not the anglers, not the communities, not the ranchers. We’re all in this boat together, we are going to either sink or float, so let's float this work together to save wild trout. This is an ecological and economic emergency and should be treated as such. Bold and decisive action needs to be taken now. Our communities and businesses rely on these rivers, and they help support $167 million in economic activity and some 1,400 jobs in rural Beaverhead County alone. We are already seeing clients hold off on booking trips or canceling. We don’t have time to waste. Outfitters, guides, and the fly fishing community also need to step up and put some skin in the game. We can do a lot to reduce unnecessary stress on trout but adhering to catch and release best practices (keep ‘em wet with no grip and grin over the boat social media photos), using single hook barbless artificial flies, and committing to a hard stop with water temps reach 68 degrees. It’s time to identify key causes behind this region’s population crash, to think outside-the-box, and to ensure we quickly implement targeted solutions critical to restoring and protecting SW Montana’s cold-water fisheries. SWT is coordinating with state agencies, local stakeholders, and scientific experts to find answers and develop long-term solutions.
What makes these rivers special or unique?
Wade: Montana is often referred to the Last Best Place for good reason. We are a headwaters state with a triple divide, meaning water from our snowpack and water flows to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. Montana’s freshwater resources are truly of value and worth protecting. Montana’s world-renowned, cold-water fisheries that have historically supported an abundance of wild trout. It’s a fly fishing mecca. We are one of the last remaining intact wild trout fisheries in the lower 48. This basin is home to Cutthroat and the imperiled Arctic Grayling. If we can’t protect and maintain wild trout fisheries in Southwest Montana, I fear for trout fisheries around the state, country, and world.
How can individuals help in the effort to restore and protect these rivers in Southwestern Montana for future generations?
Visit SaveWildTrout.org to get informed, engage, and support this effort. It’s all-hands-on-deck to save wild trout.
Sign up on SaveWildTrout.org. We’ll keep you in the loop on our projects and meaningful opportunities to raise your voice.
MAKE A DONATION. Help us develop, and advocate for science-based solutions vital to protecting wild trout.
CONTACT the Montana Governor’s Office and the Fisheries Division of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Let decision-makers know that you support their efforts addressing and prioritizing this ecological and economic emergency.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Wade: In just the last week, we’ve identified 4 ‘zombie fish’ during higher water and cooler temps. This is not a good sign. Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and the Governor’s office have been responsive to our questions, concerns, and are finally starting to understand the urgency of the situation. It sounds like FWP will have some folks on the ground in the next few weeks to collect samples, but we fear the disease may run its course if we don’t mobilize immediatley. In the past three years we guides saw the most dead fish in June and October. We are almost out of the June window. Anglers can now submit photos of diseased and dying fish on the agency's website: https://mtstandard.com/news/state-regional/fwp-launches-new-public-portal-for-reporting-zombie-fish/article_aec28124-1b47-11ee-9a23-a3a651aac8a0.html