Lake Trout Entrenched

Sun., July 28, 1996

Associated Press

Yellowstone National Park

The threat of lake trout overtaking native species in Yellowstone Lake appears to be far more serious than park officials had thought.

The illegally introduced non-native fish, discovered in the lake in 1994, threaten the existence of native cutthroat trout, a major food-chain link for everything from pelicans and eagles to otters and grizzlies.

This year, crews working since early June have netted more than 150 of the foreign lake trout, including the largest one so far: a 21-pound mature female close to 20 years old and carrying some 1,000 eggs.

That suggests a population of voracious lake trout has been present in Yellowstone Lake for some 20 years, longer than first suspected, and may be much closer than expected to wreaking havoc with the lake’s native species.

Lake trout, native to the Great Lakes, consume and out-compete smaller species. Park officials fear their population could explode and decimate Yellowstone’s cutthroats.

Fisheries experts have concluded there is no practical way to eliminate the foreign fish, probably numbering in the hundreds of thousands; but they hope a perpetual netting effort may restrain their growth.

“We’ve got to close out, as quickly as we can, this research mode and move rapidly into industrial strength netting,” said John Varley, director of Yellowstone’s resource management division.

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