CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming has 49 species of native fish and 29 introduced species, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Some of these fish can migrate hundreds of miles while “some homebodies never leave their original waters or move very little,” Game and Fish said on Monday.
The announcement came ahead of World Fish Migration Day which will occur on Oct. 24 as a way “to create awareness on the importance of free flowing rivers and migratory fish.”
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“Wyoming has about 20,000 miles of perennial streams distributed among 14 major hydrologic basins,” Game and Fish add. “The Cowboy State’s finned residents are among thousands of species of fish worldwide that migrate, and those movements are celebrated this week on World Fish Migration Day.”
“Fish biologists have been surprised by how far some fish travel. In 2009, a study near Dubois documented a Yellowstone cutthroat trout traveling 27 miles in just over two months. In 2011, an angler caught a channel catfish on the Yellowstone River near Billings, Montana, after it traveled 415 miles from lower Clear Creek in northeast Wyoming where it was tagged in 2007.”
Game and Fish say that they invest in projects to facilitate the passage of migrating fish.
“It’s important to keep Wyoming’s streams connected,” Game and Fish Fish Passage Biologist Nick Scribner said. “Fish passage helps design stream improvements to remove blockages for fish that migrate for spawning, habitat and food.”
Areas where fish are unable to find passage can lead to problems for the species’ “health and genetic diversity.” Game and Fish note that man-made obstacles can contribute to this problem and include:
- diversion dams
- impoundments
- weirs
- culverts
- other road crossings
“For many fish species, long-term population viability depends on access and movement up and downstream,” Scribner said. “If a passage is cut off, it can block fish from their spawning habitat and that can impact their populations in that water.”
Game and Fish say they work to re-establish aquatic routes and remove blockages to help ensure fish can move freely.
While some fish travel large distances, not all do so. Younger fish are less likely to embark on long migrations, according to Scribner.
While Game and Fish work to facilitate fish movement, in some areas they work to prevent movement of certain species.
“Occasionally, fish will make their way to places Game and Fish doesn’t want them because they could compete for resources with other species,” the department said. “In those cases, biologists will consider constructing a fish barrier to block their movement.”
“It’s all about the resources. We want to be sure fish can get to where they need, and if there is a connected watershed, that is good for fish,” Scribner said.
The Link LonkOctober 20, 2020 at 01:19AM
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Wyoming fish can migrate hundreds of miles; Game and Fish work to remove obstacles - Oil City News
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