Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

WORLAND – Designated the state fish in 1987, the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, a native to Wyoming before settlement and once abundant, is scheduled to be reintroduced to the Absaroka, Beartooth and Big Horn Mountains, but ahead of the measure, Wyoming Game and Fish officials are taking public input from interested anglers and outdoors enthusiasts.

Thursday, in Worland, a group of wildlife officials led by Cody Regional Fisheries Supervisor Sam Hochhalter met with a half dozen residents to take recommendations before holding similar meetings in Cody (Jan. 29) and Lovell (Jan. 31).

"A lot of times when we meet with the public, people want to focus on their favorite places to fish, so we've recruited Tara Kuipers to help keep the conversation on-target and moving along," said Hochhalter, while introducing Kuipers, a facilitation specialist from Cody.

After a brief introduction by State Fisheries Director Alan Osterland, who defined the mission statement of the Game and Fish department for the audience, and noted that although the cutthroat is not on the endangered species list, "if we are ever faced with it being listed, we need to get ahead of the management. History has showed us that once a species is listed, it's hard to get them off the list."

Osterland also mentioned current budget concerns gripping the state, and noted that "as an agency, we need to look at all species in the state and prioritize where to spend our money."

Hochhalter spoke briefly on the history of the cutthroat, and stated that "after some study, we found that the public, the owners of the resources that we are stewards for, believe that doing nothing for the cutthroat is not an option."

Kuipers then led those gathered in a discussion of how they would like to see the reintroduction play out, and some things that might help the public understand the process.

The anglers and outdoorsmen in attendance, all from the Big Horn Basin, noted that fishing has changed greatly since the 1950s due to reduced cutthroat population, especially in popular fishing areas including East Ten Sleep, Buck and Baby Wagon creeks.

It was noted that the surroundings make a big difference in the Wyoming fishing experience, and that not a lot of places outside of Alaska match the ecosystem for a positive experience, which would be enhanced by a larger cutthroat population.

Anglers agreed that it would be nice to catch larger sport fish in "tamer" areas like the Big Horns, where there is less chance to encounter a large predator, and is less travelled than the fishing areas in the western part of the state.

The audience agreed that family-friendly fishing is still important, so there is a need to preserve the brook and rainbow trout where appropriate, but emphasis should be on native species.

It was also agreed that the public needs more education on the Yellowstone cutthroat, and the state should advertise and market the opportunity to fish a unique Wyoming fish.

Drawbacks mentioned included increased volume to trails and motorized access along streams, the possibility of a "single species" future, and the fear of being overrun by an "elitist" crowd of sport fishermen that are not currently attracted to the areas of reintroduction.

The Game and Fish meetings will continue throughout the process, and will be held next in Cody on Jan. 29 at the Park County Library, and Jan. 31 in Lovell at the Community Center. Both meetings begin at 5:30 p.m.

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Online: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Get-Involved/Cutthroat-Trout