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Yellowstone National ParkA herd of Bison, commonly called Buffalo, graze along a roadside.
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Yellowstone National Park
Attention Anglers: Invasive Threats - Clean Your Gear
A stream bed is covered with snails.
Photo courtesy of David Richards
New Zealand mudsnails cover the bottom of a park stream.

Yellowstone fisheries are already threatened by damaging invasive species. The whirling disease parasite and introduced lake trout have resulted in a loss of cutthroat trout from Yellowstone Lake. New Zealand mud snails occur in many park streams, impact aquatic insect communities, and ultimately affect the angling experience. Our Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) brochure (423 KB pdf) includes a map showing locations of whirling disease and New Zealand mudsnails in the park, which can be easily transported on waders or other fishing gear. WARNING!! ANS (Aquatic Nuisance Species) HOTZONES include popular fishing locations on the following streams:

  • Firehole River
  • Gardner River
  • Gibbon River
  • Madison River
  • Yellowstone River
 
Very small New Zealand mudsnails are shown on the surface of a rock taken from a stream.
Photo courtesy of Dan Gustafson
New Zealand mudsnails on the surface of a rock taken from a stream.

Be aware that you may easily spread harmful ANS if you do not clean your gear after fishing in these areas! Help prevent further spread of ANS by thoroughly cleaning mud, plants, and debris from your fishing equipment and footwear BEFORE leaving your angling site. Drain boat livewells and clean fish ONLY near the same body of water in which they were caught.

Preservation of aquatic resources and quality angling in the future depends on you! Please, before coming to Yellowstone:

 

CLEAN YOUR BOAT!
CLEAN YOUR GEAR!

 
Pelican Creek near its confluence with Yellowstone Lake.
Pelican Creek near its confluence with Yellowstone Lake.
NPS Photo by Todd Koel
  1. Remove all aquatic plants, mud, and animals
  2. Drain all lake and river water
  3. Dispose of all bait: DO NOT BRING MINNOWS, LEECHES, SALAMANDERS, ETC, INTO THE PARK!
  4. Clean and dry everything that comes in contact with water BEFORE entering a new body of water
 
Fishing Bridge.  

Did You Know?
You cannot fish from Fishing Bridge. Until 1973 this was a very popular fishing location since the bridge crossed the Yellowstone River above a cutthroat trout spawning area. It is now a popular place to observe fish.

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Last Updated: January 03, 2008 at 16:23 EST