Fishery management studies on the Madison River system in Yellowstone National Park
Benson NG, Cope OB, Bulkley RV. 1959. Fishery management studies on the Madison River system in Yellowstone National Park. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Scientific Report-Fisheries. Special Scientific Report - Fisheries No. 307. US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior. Washington, DC
Research to appraise current fish management practices and to develop improved practices was carried on in the Yellowstone National Park portion of the Madison River system from 1953-1957. The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison Rivers are described. Experiments designed to test the value of fingerling and adult stocking resulted in the conclusion that fingerling stocking of brown and rainbow trout does not contribute to the fishery substantially, and that adult stocking is of greatest value only in the season of stocking. Examination of scales showed that hatchery fish are readily distinguishable from wild fish. There were no differences in growth rates of wild fish in different years for different rates of stocking hatchery fish. The brown and rainbow trout populations are not affected adversely by heavy introduction of hatchery fingerlings of each species or of adult rainbows. Brook and brown trout and whitefish are substantially underfished.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Benson, Norman; Cope, Oliver; Bulkley, Ross
- Date of Issue
- 1959-05
- Publisher
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior
- Units
- GRTE , HIST , YELL
- Keywords
- Age Distribution, Animal Studies, Aquatic Sciences, Creel Census, ehistory, Firehole River, Fish, Fishery, Fishing, Gibbon River, Growth, History, Inventory & Monitoring, Madison River Drainage, Management, Mortality, Natural Resource Management, Population, Recreation, Rivers & Streams, Size, Spawning, Stocking (Fish), Trout (Oncorhynchusnidae), whitefish (Coregonus)