The culprit behind the massive fish kill is a parasite known to cause a development of proliferative kidney disease in infected animals. The normally-busy waterway has been closed to fishing, boating and all other activities after a contagious parasite caused a massive fish kill.
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The goal is to see if there are fish dying outside the hotspot.
After thousands of fish deaths forced an unprecedented closure of 180 miles of the Yellowstone River last week, an official with Montana’s Office of Tourism says the state’s branding as a place of pristine landscape is still strong.
Montana is closing a 183-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River to all recreational activities to prevent the spread of a parasite that is believed to have killed tens of thousands of fish.
Biologists are trying to determine if a parasite that’s blamed for the deaths has infected fish further downstream and in several major tributaries.
Andrea Jones, a spokeswoman for the Montana FWS, said that throughout this week, technicians will collect fish samples from the Springdale area and three of the Yellowstone’s tributary rivers – Boulder, Shields and Stillwater.
Yellowstone National Park officials have made a point of clarifying that the fish kill is not impacting the park, and the Yellowstone River is still open there. The agency expects to receive the results of the lab tests within the next few days.
The river’s closure during the busy summer season dealt a major blow to fishing guides, fly shops, rafting companies and others who work in the region’s thriving outdoors industry.
Livingston Chamber of Commerce executive director Leslie Feigel pointed out that the closure of Yellowstone River is going to force a change of plans for numerous independent outfitters that rely on the river for trout fishery.
Reports of the Yellowstone River fish kill began pouring in more than a week ago.
Most have been mountain whitefish, a native game species, but reports emerged that the die-off has affected some rainbow trout and Yellowstone cutthroat trout species crucial to the fishing industry.
She added that if the massive fish kill came in June, it would have had far worse consequences.
“A threat to the health of Montana’s fish populations is a threat to Montana’s entire outdoor economy and the tens of thousands of jobs it sustains”, Gov. Steve Bullock said in a statement this weekend.
A community meeting on the closure is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m.at the Park County Fairgrounds in Livingston.
Yellowstone Raft Co. owner Robin Trotter said she had started calling hundreds of customers with reservations in coming weeks to let them know their trips could be canceled.
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