Yellowstone National Park to target invasive trout in Buffalo Creek

Yellowstone National Park fisheries staff will begin a project to eliminate nonnative rainbow trout in Buffalo Creek starting August 31. The initiative aims to protect and restore native Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations by removing invasive species that threaten the Lamar River watershed.

The park will use rotenone, a fish poison, to treat the lower 13 miles of Buffalo Creek. During this period, from August 31 until September 7, Buffalo Creek will be closed to anglers. While the project is limited to the lower portion of the stream due to previous legal rulings regarding upstream areas, officials state the treatment will “eliminate the harmful fish within park boundaries and dramatically slow the rainbow trout invasion of lower Slough Creek and Lamar River.”

To mitigate impact on native species, any cutthroat trout captured via electro-fishing prior to the treatment will be relocated to other waters. The Park Service has also confirmed that the treatment will not affect the potability of water at the Slough Creek Campground.