GREEN RIVER – Wyoming Game and Fish Department fisheries crews discovered yet another illegal fish introduction in the Green River drainage.

                  Biologists recently captured burbot, or ling, in Fontenelle Reservoir upstream from the city of Green River in southwest Wyoming conducting fall gill net sampling.

                  Green River Fisheries Biologist Craig Amadio says that is bad news for anglers. “Burbot are very aggressive predators and will likely feed on wild juvenile brown trout, stocked rainbow trout and kokanee in Fontenelle Reservoir,” Amadio said. “They also compete with large trout for food and habitat and negatively impact native nongame fish and forage fish populations.

“Burbot will eventually move upstream from Fontenelle Reservoir and establish populations in the upper Green River and Finger lakes near Pinedale. They will also drift downstream, contributing to the expanding illegal burbot populations already established in the lower Green River and Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Unfortunately this means burbot are now present in the entire Green River watershed – in other words they are here to stay.”

    The discovery of this eel-like, predatory fish is another serious blow to the quality fisheries the Game and Fish is working hard to maintain for all anglers – not for the few selfish individuals who want their favorite fish everywhere they wish.  

                 Illegal introductions of fish into Wyoming’s waters, accidental or intentional, put fisheries at risk not only at the site of introduction, but also upstream and downstream waters within the drainage. In fact, introduction of any non-native fish can severely affect both native fish populations and sport fisheries. This includes nongame fish introductions such as carp, shiners, suckers and minnows as well as game fish like burbot, walleye, rainbow trout and yellow perch.

          Amadio says illegal fish introductions have occurred in several Wyoming river basins, including smallmouth bass and walleye in Sulphur Creek Reservoir, rainbow trout in Salt Creek, walleye in Lake DeSmet, Casper’s Yesness Pond and Granite Reservoir, burbot and white suckers in Big Sandy Reservoir and now burbot in Fontenelle Reservoir. 

            “Managing illegally introduced species is very costly and much of the money must come from license fees paid by anglers and hunters,” he said. “Mechanical and chemical removal of undesirable fish species is labor intensive and expensive. Even monitoring fish populations becomes more costly when prolific species are introduced into new waters. Often times the only way to maintain a sport fishery in the face of introduced species is to stock larger trout. The cost of stocked trout increases significantly as the size at stocking increases, so that means that more money (hunter and angler license dollars) must be used to manage the fishery.”

                Illegally introduced species result in fewer fishing opportunities for everyone. Introduced fish can wipe out or compete with existing species for food and habitat, increase management costs to restore the fishery, can carry and spread diseases and parasites, and hybridize with established species. All of which reduces the quality of your fishery and angling experience.

                 The Game and Fish aggressively manages against illegally introduced fish populations and will continue to do so.

                “For example, the creel limit for burbot and walleye will be 25 fish per day in the Green River and Bear River drainages beginning January 1, 2006,” Amadio said. “It will also be illegal for anglers who catch these species to return them to the water.  Fisheries managers are encouraging anglers to harvest as many as legally possible and help remove these introduced fish.”

          Wyoming fisheries managers carefully survey the waters in Wyoming, and a great deal of thought goes into Game and Fish stocking strategies, including the potential to spread disease from one water to another. All the benefits and risks are considered. Through scientific management and sport fish stocking, Wyoming has been able to keep its fish-disease epidemics to a minimum and maintain world-class fishing opportunities throughout the state.  Illegal fish introductions threaten these opportunities for all anglers.

         Transporting live fish in your live well away from the waters where you caught them is illegal. All fish that aren’t released back into the water must be killed before leaving the water of capture. Breaking this law is a misdemeanor and carries a considerable fine and possible jail time. Obviously that doesn’t concern some selfish individuals who continue to illegally introduce unwanted fish species without understanding or caring about the consequences of their actions.   

                  Due to the significant threat illegal fish introductions pose to your fisheries, the Game and Fish is increasing enforcement of the laws concerning transportation and introduction of fish to new waters. With any luck the department will catch the culprits who introduced burbot to Fontenelle Reservoir and they can pay the restoration costs for the damage it will cause to the Fontenelle Reservoir and Green River trout fishery. We all have a responsibility to help conserve our fisheries so please report any suspicious fish transportation or introduction activity to the Stop Poaching Hotline (800) 442-4331 or the Green River office at (307) 875-3223.

(contact: Craig Amadio or Lucy Wold (307) 875-3223)

(photo available upon request)