IFG Creating New 5-Year Plan

Making friends with the fish: That’s what Idaho Fish and Game is doing this spring.

It has teamed up with Friends of the Teton River, a Driggs-based conservation group, to expand the horizons of a local endangered fish species, yellowstone cutthroat trout.

The trout is native to the Teton River Watershed, and now IFG is lending a hand to make sure it thrives.

IFG is making a new statewide fisheries management plan, as it does every five years.

“It seems like people are generally happy with the direction the fisheries program is going,” said fishery manager Dan Garren.

But, it could use some tweaking.

According to fish manager Dan Garren, a focus this time around will be making sure the yellowstone cutthroat trout is well-stocked in the Teton watershed.

“The surveys that we do continually show us the same results: Idaho anglers and residents do value these species more than introduced species,” said Garren.

So, the yellowstone cutthroat trout will be a priority for IFG from 2013-2018.

Nearly making the endangered species list a few years ago, the trout are native to the Teton watershed. In fact, they only live in portions of Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada.

“It’s a fairly small range for cutthroat,” said Garren.

IFG experts are asking for public input on this matter or anything else people would like to see happen in the next few years under the new plan.

Because they live in a wildlife management area, IFG would only stock the rare, scaly species in specific areas and under strict guidelines.

“I would envision very, very few instances where that would take effect. I would think in the next five-year plan we would only find two or three instances where a newly created habitat is available,” said Garren.

Anglers or concerned resident with input can call the Idaho Fish and Game directly at (208) 525-7290 or follow this link.

IFG will stop taking public comment by the end of April.