Yellowstone River

USGS researchers at the Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit are working with Yellowstone National park to understand Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Yellowstone National Park generates \$834 million in economic benefits and supports about 9,000 jobs for the local economy. A key part of this economic engine are the animals that the public come to see and enjoy. Once such species is the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, which people enjoy fishing for and is a food source for other animals, such as grizzly bears and eagles. Unfortunately, invasive lake trout entered Yellowstone Lake and collapsed the Yellowstone cutthroat trout population such that grizzly bears and anglers no longer caught the fish. Enter the US Geological Survey—Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, through research efforts and a strong partnership with Yellowstone National Park the Yellowstone cutthroat trout population has rebounded such that anglers are fishing the lake again, outfitters are booking back-country trips, and grizzly bears are visiting Yellowstone cutthroat trout spawning tributaries. The Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit provided crucial research results that developed the foundation for lake trout suppression efforts, which have resulted in the Yellowstone cutthroat trout population meeting recovery benchmarks. It is hard to image the long-term impact on other species in Yellowstone National Park and to the local economies had this research not been conducted. The results of this research will benefit generations to come that visit the nation's first national park.