Trout population "collapses" in Idaho
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
The Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout population in eastern Idaho has dropped dramatically because the creeks they lay eggs in are drying up due to drought, farming, and construction
In eastern Idaho, the Teton River snakes through irrigated farmlands. In this arid country, farmers and fish compete for a scarce resource, water. When a drought set in and water became even more scarce the native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout population collapsed.
A 95 percent decline in native trout numbers in the upper Teton River drainage during a three-year period.
"When those numbers were finally made publicly available, shockwaves ran through both the angling and environmental community at such a precipitous decline of our native trout," said Lyn Benjamin of the Friends of the Teton River
One of the reasons? A century of human alterations to the region's streams and rivers. The creeks that flow off the western flanks of the Tetons no longer reach the main stem of the river. Instead, the water gets diverted for farming.
In fast-drying creeks, conservationists wade to rescue stranded fish. Over time, lack of water cuts off the Cutthroats natural migration. Adults run up the tributaries and into the Teton River from June to August, a critical time for spawning Cutthroat.
As Teton Valley's farming community converts hay fields into homes, more water could become available for fish. Housing could consume less water than farming if conservationists can convince developers to keep the water in the streams instead of siphoning it off for golf courses, lawns, and artificial ponds.
