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Though the past few years have seen some varied numbers when it comes to fish in the Bighorn River, Wyoming Game and Fish Regional Fisheries Biologist Joe Skorupski is optimistic that the fish are surviving in greater numbers and the overall population is on a rising trend.
Skorupski explained the varying water levels on the river in the last couple years have hit the fish population pretty hard — mainly the small fish, though there had been a decrease in big as well. However, while 2017 showed an average of 1,100 fish per mile, the 2018 average was more than 1,600 per mile.
While the populations have come up, Skorupski said the difference is where the growth is being seen. He further explained the two main factors looked at are survivability of the fish and natural recruitment — how many fish are naturally spawned. The past few years have seen poor survivability and recruitment, he said, and one of the strategies used is stocking the river.
The river was stocked with 16,000 rainbow trout and 8,000 snake river cutthroat this year, and something new being done is clipping the adipose fins of the fish. This allows for easier definition, during later observation, of whether captured fish are stocked or naturally recruited.
Skorupski said he’s seen a lot of good survivability in the stock as well as the recruited fish. The estimated number of fish that were 6-12 inches in 2017 was 217 per mile, down significantly from the previous year. However, 2018’s estimated is up to 958 per mile. It’s important, he added, that these fish keep surviving. While the number of younger fish is increasing, that also needs to transfer to the older fish population. Trout 12 inches or bigger showed numbers of 825 per mile in 2017 and 665 per mile in 2018.
Skorupski’s happy to see the stock fish are surviving and recruitment up where it has been poor, and while things appear to be doing better they’re not out of this yet. He added the annual flushing flow will again be requested, though it is up to the Bureau of Reclamation to decide if it’s done. The purpose of the flow is to clean spawning gravels of accumulated sediment, with the goal of improving trout reproduction.
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