Snot Alert

NEW ZEALAND
HAS YOU COVERED

One More Weapon

two threats with one bullet

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.. A couple of year's ago we mentioned that the Kiwi's were doing battle with Didymosphenia geminata - "Didymo" or "Rock Snot," for short. We've been watching the developments and now Uncle Jack's Didymo Killer is a proven winner for killing the snot.
.. It's also effective for whirling disease. Pretty good stuff. It may even save those who prefer felt soles on waders from having to mortgage the farm to get "clean" rubber soles.
.. Starting in 2006, (NIWA Letter,) and in 2007, (USFWS note,) and lately, (Moldy Chum,) the news is getting out.
.. It's worth the time to read about Uncle Jack's Didymo Killer and decide if you'd like to spread the word.
.. You can carry a spray bottle with you. You can donate a tub of it to your neighborhood feather merchant. You can provide 'stream-side squirt service.' The possibilities are endless.
.. The news is about 4 years old, the alert is as current as today's weather.

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A Great Big Thank You

SO LONG DICK

.. Dick Vincent, 68, retired this year after 12 years as whirling disease coordinator for the FWP, eight years as fish manager for Region Three of the FWP and 22 years as area biologist over the Madison, Gallatin, and upper Missouri rivers.
.. In 1991 Vincent noticed some problems with young Rainbow Trout populations in the Madison River. By 1994 the population of rainbows had fallen 90% and Whirling Disease was pinpointed as the culprit.
.. The disease was poorly known at the time. Vincent and his coworkers established an initiative to study the disease from every angle. The initiative continues today and we have learned much.
.. Trout Unlimited and the Whirling Disease Foundation have since merged and the URL "WHIRLINGDISEASE.ORG" is now for sale.
.. These conjoint efforts have brought Whirling Disease to the forefront of our discussion of healthy Rainbow Trout Populations in Montana.
.. Currently Montana has 150 infected streams. The Madison River Rainbow Trout population has slowly recovered and is now at 60 - 70 percent of what it was before the discovery of Whirling Disease.
.. The recovery is most likely the result of genes from the DeSmet Rainbows probably imported from California by way of Wyoming. The exact source of the introduced fish is not known and the detective work is still underway.
.. An article "HAS WHIRLING DISEASE COME FULL CIRCLE?" in MSU's MOUNTAINS & MINDS recaps the story about Dick Vincent, his career, and the Whirling Disease saga.

MONEY QUOTE

Vincent announced four years ago that whirling disease researchers had found rainbow trout that were somewhat resistant to whirling disease. The fish live in the Willow Creek Reservoir, three miles east of Harrison in Madison County. Their ancestors came from Wyoming between 1977 and 1981. In the century before that, they came to Wyoming from somewhere along the West Coast. They made the trip by train, riding in milk cans filled with water.

Vincent said he tried unsuccessfully to learn more details about the West Coast relatives. Despite his detective work, he knows they were wild trout, but doesn't know the state or stream where they originated. It was common back then, he added, to scoop wild fish out of streams during spawning and dump them elsewhere.

"In the late 1800s, fish were hauled everywhere, whether they needed it or didn't," Vincent said. "It was willy-nilly."

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.. A related article published this week explores the work of the research laboratory at Pony, Montana. It's at this lab that Billie Kerans, MSU ecologist, and long time collaborator of Vincent's holds forth.
.. If you want to know about caddis flies, New Zealand Mud Snails, Whirling Disease or the ecology of invasive species - just ask Billi.
.. We take this opportunity to thank both of these tireless researchers. Go get 'em Billi, and enjoy your retirement Dick!

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Resources:

-> Montana University System Water Center
-> Researchers Optimistic about Montana's Trout
-> Has Whirling Disease Come Full Circle?
-> Eye Of The Guide
-> Billi Kerans Home Page

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Some News Briefs

BLACKFOOT GETS SOME RELIEF

Rock Snot At It Again
vigilance quashes quaggas

NPS Partners To Fight Invasive Species
whirling away in colorado

.. This week the Nature Conservancy added 4,682 acres to an easement adjacent to a 2,888 acre easement already protected in the Blackfoot River Drainage. The nearly 7,000 acre chunk of land is prime trout and wildlife habitat.
.. According to Matthew Frank in the recent
New West Article:

"The land is in the foothills southwest of Lincoln abutting the Helena National Forest, and the easement, held by Missoula-based Five Valleys Land Trust, will limit development on three and a half miles of Blackfoot River frontage and more than fourteen miles of its tributaries. It's Five Valleys Land Trust's largest easement to date."

.. This is a welcome bit of relief for one of the fastest growing areas in Montana. The effort to protect the resource is a combination of personal, private, organizational, and charitable concerns. This acquisition is part of an ongoing 89,000 acre effort in the area.

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.. Protect Your Waters notes that Rock Snot is becoming an ever-present concern for fishers, boaters, and the general public. They cite several news articles that have called attention to the problems created by this slimy organism.
.. We've posted several blurbs about about the diatom Didymosphenia geminata -DIDYMO, for short, (Rock Snot, for the rest of us.)
.. The Star Ledger, a New Jersey newspaper, has taken up the cry to inform anglers of the threat and the ways to combat Didymo.
.. Branded a "stream killer," the diatom covers river and stream bottoms with its oozing mass and deprives plants and animals of the surfaces that they need to live.

.. The Express Times, another New Jersey newspaper, has an interesting, (and somewhat gloomy,) article about the life cycle of Rock Snot. The rapid spread of the organism from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, and its adaptation to a wide range of water conditions and temperatures suggest that its natural history may be changing. Check it out HERE.
.. In the Baltimore Sun is another note about Rock Snot threatening the Gunpowder River. Just last December we noted that the river was under assault by a local canoe club. Now the killer snot is a clear and present danger.
.. The algae bloom was noted by concerned anglers and reported to the state DNR last week. The Baltimore Sun article carries a note about the DNR providing washing stations and posting the river.
.. A second news brief by the CBS affiliate WJZ in Baltimore notes that the DNR is asking boaters to was their boats in a saline solution. Didymo can survive on a damp surface for two or more days.

.. Big Bear Lake in California came within inches of having a Quagga Mussel invasion. Via Protect You Waters, comes news that the Quagga Mussel is on the move. Quick action and insight save a near infestation at the boat ramp according to an article on the Big Bear Grizzly.com web site. The Metropolitan Water District is launching an all out public information campaign and has attendants at the boat launch facilities on the lake.

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.. In Nevada, National Park Service officials have been given the go ahead to join with local organizations to do battle with the Quagga Mussel and other invasive species according to an article in the Las Vegas ReviewJournal.com.
.. A bill passed by congress removes a legal obstacle that had prevented the federal agency from entering cooperative agreements with states, local governments, landowners and American Indian tribes to battle invaders that steal water and crowd native vegetation.
.. This could open the way for additional resources in the fight against invasive species.

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.. The Parvin Lake Research Station in Colorado, (home of the Hofer strain of Rainbow Trout, brought back to the USA from Germany a few years ago,) is inviting anglers to become research assistants in their efforts to develop trout hybrids that are resistant to Whirling Disease.
.. Many of the hybrids are larger than the native trout and can rapidly reach five pounds, (this includes the HO-HA hybrid being tested in Utah.)
.. Various hybrid strains have been tagged with small coded wires placed in the fishes' noses. Anglers are asked to visit the research station, report their experience, and if they keep fish -- have them scanned for identification. You can read more about the project in the North Forty News & Fossil Creek Current.

.. This research is is detailed in a pair of notes on the Whirling Disease Foundation web site ( #1 #2 .) The cooperation between Colorado, Montana, California, and Germany has produced some success by using fish that were originally exported from the Gunnison River to Germany in the 1800's.
.. The best news is that there may be an immune, (not just resistant strain,) present in the current research populations. Via Protect Your Waters, we've just read a note in FlyFishingDish that suggest -- nay -- says so. The sad news is that many native trout species and subspecies will be lost in the rush to sprinkle these hybrids around for the joys of angling.
.. The disappearance of any species is a blow to the ecosystem. The solution to the problem of whirling disease has the seeds of another problem that is just in its infancy.
.. We don't know how to do it, but it's time we considered a legacy fish bank. Be it sperm, or eggs, both or neither we should be thinking about it. Tissue samples, live fish repositories, and other solutions to the infant problem have been proposed.
.. Just as the Gunnison River trout went to Germany and came back with a resistance to whirling disease, so too to many of our native species may have hidden genetic talents and predispositions that are yet to be discovered. We need to think about preserving them for the next plague. What ever it may be.

photo courtesy Whirling Disease Foundation

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Why Should We Care ?

TEN SLEEP GETS WHIRLING DISEASE

So What You Say

it may spread this way

.. From Protect Your Waters comes the news that the Ten Sleep Fish Hatchery in Wyoming has reported whirling disease in it's brood stock.
.. The Ten Sleep Hatchery was built in 1939, shortly after the Lake Fish Hatchery in Yellowstone National Park, (1930 - 1932.)
.. The Wyoming facility is a key element in the state's fish culture program. It provides over 1,000,000 fish to other hatchery's and also produces about 250,000 fish for direct planting in Wyoming waters.
.. So What? - you say. Well it was slated to be the new home of the endemic Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Brood Stock. The restoration and recovery program has already started, and there has been no word about the impact on the beginnings of this effort to save this embattled species.
.. The disease hits native Cutthroat Trout very hard and this news concerns us. Has the disease already come out of the hatchery into more Yellowstone waters? We await word from Yellowstone National Park and from the fishery scientists in Wyoming.

It's Getting Worse

CUTTHROAT TROUT
ARE WHIRLING AWAY

Malady Spreading Like, - well - Whirling Disease

watch them go

.. The Denver Post is just the latest in a long line of newspapers to run a story about the disappearing Cutthroat Trout of Yellowstone. Both the Yellowstone Cutthroat and the West Slope Cutthroat are in trouble.

.. Whirling disease is the culprit, in the "Troubled Waters" of Yellowstone, cited by Charlie Meyers in his note about the declining numbers of the trout.
.. In 1995 the New York Times and Peter Kaminsky brought the situation to national attention in their article "Trouble In Paradise." Mike Stark of the Billings Gazette has been diligently writing the same information in articles since 2004, (1, 2.) The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has been involved in the effort to save the species since 2005. The Montana Department of Fish Wildlife And Parks has been acutely aware of the problem since 2001.
.. These natives are disappearing from the regions waters for a variety of reasons, and Whirling disease is not the least of them. Studies have shown the importance of these fish to the ecosystem, and their reduced numbers are alarming.
.. The growing concern stems from the fact that the spawning streams are now infected and the trout are being wiped out in increasing numbers at an increasingly early age. The spawning streams of the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley and those of the South Fork of the Snake River are now breeding fewer Yellowstone Cutthroats and more parasites.
.. This two year old map shows the known distribution of New Zealand Mud Snails in and around Yellowstone National Park. This is almost exactly the same as the known distribution of whirling disease. As you can see the dots follow the Yellowstone River into the Paradise Valley. Here, about 2/3 of the spawning tributaries have shown infected populations.
.. The documentation shows that both are rapidly spreading and reducing the fish population to dangerously low levels.
.. There are a couple of strains of Rainbow Trout, resistant to the disease, that have been developed by fisheries scientists that may be useful in stemming the tide of the disease in this species of trout. However, there are no known Cutthroat Trout that are resistant to whirling disease.
.. In addition to whirling disease the native Yellowstone Cutthroats are being hybridized out of existence in most waters in the Yellowstone ecosystem. (See: Keeley for the work in Idaho, 1, 2, 3, 4.)
.. The National Park Service advises each fisher on Slough Creek to kill up to five (5) Rainbow Trout that they catch there: provided they can tell the difference.

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Money Quotes: NPS

To reduce competition, predation, and hybridization stress on native fishes, Yellowstone has increased harvest limits of rainbow and brown trout in waters where they co-exist with cutthroat trout and fluvial arctic grayling.

In cutthroat trout waters where rainbow trout have been introduced, either by intentional, historic stocking or by invasion from a downstream source, the result has been a serious degradation of the cutthroat trout population through interbreeding of the two species.

Harvest of nonnative trout is allowed, and in some cases required, in many park waters.

.. Of course the unthinking fly fisher believes that catch-and-release is a panacea for all situations, in all places, and at all times. and has refused to do this in any meaningful way on Slough Creek.
.. You should hear the patter in the local fly shops. "Hell one trout's as good as the next, and those cutts are lazy fish, anyway." "I'd rather kill a Cuttthroat than a Brown any day." "There's no difference between a Cutbow, a Rainbow, and a Cutthroat." and so it goes.
.. In addition to New Zealand Mud Snails, Lake Trout, Whirling Disease, and Hybridization it might be that the most dangerous invasive species, for the native Yellowstone Cutthroat, is Homo Sapiens. Hardly sapient in this instance.
.. The long history of our manipulation of the fisheries around us, gives pause to the thought that we can or should do anything now. Yet the fish of the Thorofare may be the next to go the way of the downstream populations.
.. These gems are wild, wily, and cagey. They are prey for bears, coyotes, pelicans, eagles, hawks, wolves, and man, for starters. It would be a shame to see them disappear as both a sport fish and a member of the food chain.
.. As the hint of Spring brings to mind fishing in Yellowstone, it also reminds us that it is the informed fisher that enjoys the pastime the most. The history of fish species in Yellowstone has informed the park's managers in their drafting of regulations. It behooves the fisher to be at least as well informed as the managers.

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.. There are much better resources on-line about Yellowstone Fishing than you get in the little pamphlet that comes with your fishing permit. The following are exceptionally well written and should be read and understood before fishing in Yellowstone.
.. And, again, this year there are changes. We post this now, AND, let you know that we will post it again as fishing-time draws near.
.. Yellowstone Fishing Regulations (PDF)
.. Yellowstone Fishing Season Dates And Regulations
.. Yellowstone Fishing And Fisheries Science
.. Yellowstone Park Advice To Anglers
.. Troubled Waters, Yellowstone Video About Invasive Species
.. What's On Your Line? Yellowstone Video
.. Fish Identification Tools - Poster Downloads (PDF)
.. Yellowstone Fish Distribution Maps

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NPS RECOMMENDED LINKS

Fishing in Yellowstone - YNP Site
Invasive Threats to Yellowstone Fisheries - YNP Site
Whirling Disease Initiative - Montana State University Site
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers - A public awareness campaign, and a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Coast Guard.
National Invasive Species Information Center - US Department of Agriculture Site
Aquatic Nuisance Species - US Environmental Protection Agency Site, Region 8
Montana University System Water Center - Montana State University Site
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force - Unites States Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Site
Whirling Disease Information - Whirling Disease Foundation Site
New Zealand Mudsnail Information - Montana State University Site
Aquatic Invasive Species - Wisconsin State Environmental Resource Center Site
National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse - New York Sea Grant Site

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.. The weekend was busy and we had barely time to fish or to visit THE HORSE'S MOUTH. But we did both. One of the cutest wahines ever was posted on Good Friday. And, just in case you missed the week before we reproduce below one of the most daring of all Friday wahines.

Bad News -- Good News

GRAYLING TAKES IT IN THE SHORTS

Rainbows Without Whirling

mindless sex

.. As the sun splashes over West Yellowstone, (and mothers hide their children from the strange shinning orb,) news reaches us in the form of continued stupidity from our federal bureaucracy.
.. Marshall Cutchin over at Midcurrent pointed us to the final, (in a long line of finals,) decision about the fluvial grayling by our very own United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It seems that " . . . genetics similar enough . . . " is good enough to damn the grayling in the lower 48 because it has genetics similar to those genetics of grayling elsewhere.
.. As near as we can tell the genetics of the USFWS are more similar to chimpanzees than the genetics of the the two sub species of grayling being considered. Perhaps a new genetic infusion is needed in the USFWS. You can read about the most recent results of this struggle in the Helenair.com article.

.. As we've noted previously rainbow trout that are resistant to whirling disease are being studied in Utah and Colorado. Now the resistant fish in Colorado are proving capable of breeding and may provide another front in the war on this invasive species. The Hofer strain, (similar to the Ho-Ha strain in Utah,) were introduced to the Gunnison River in 2004, and the Frying Pan River in 2005.
.. The fingerlings introduced back then have produced what appears to be a viable population. Much of the credit of this project belongs to the dedicated staff of the Colorado Devision of Wildlife and research scientist George Schisler. A tip of the fedora to you folks. You can read all about it in the Coloradoan article.

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.. Not so surprisingly, beer consumption in West Yellowstone increases about this time of year. This phenomenon has been attributed to many diverse factors ranging from love to Valentine's Day to the approach of St. Patrick's Day, to cabin fever.
.. Whatever the reason, it's not an all bad thing, (and useful in a snowbound setting.) Alcohol, in its many forms has, throughout the ages, served as a social lubricant, and the same is true at this time of the year in the high country.
.. Those of us who remember Falstaff Beer probably remember its claims, and it's fishy and sexy advertising, (dating from as early as 1897.)
.. The happy coincidence of fishing, beer and sex is probably not as random as it would seem.
.. Certainly there is an element of substitution and sublimation in this social trifecta. It is certainly apparent in the pubs around this town.
.. If talk turns to fish it also turns to sex. The parallels and vocabulary are humorously similar. It takes little imagination to see the similarities: bait, trolling, snagging, catching, hooked, hooking, hooker, etc. Even T-shirts celebrate the association: "Tie me, fly me, whip me, strip me . . . "
.. Hot fish and hot women are on the minds of our neighbors as the snow continues to accumulate.
.. And you know that when it's deep enough to ride your snowmobile to the second floor window of your beloved, it's deep enough to suggest that Romeo's fair Juliette is on the minds of even the sled heads in West Yellowstone.
.. Even the crusty old farts in town, lubricated by a bit of brew, begin to succumb to thoughts of warmer topics. Entice a fish? Drift a little deeper? Get hung up? Really snagged? It's hard to fish without being sexy. Have you ever been bit?
.. FISH ON! The call comes from the end of the bar. Where's the bite? Nice fish, good fish, pretty fish; it goes on and on. There are even sights that float into the mind that defy reality.
.. Winter, snow and brew bring about a bit of hallucinogenic foolishness. Images, that never could be, float through the convoluted folds of remaining cerebral cortex. Cool cats and hot fish don't seem like much of a likely pairing. Yet in the muted light of a congenial pub all things seem possible -- nay -- probable.
.. A vise-like grip? Play her a bit longer? She's not ready to be landed? A bit of dark fur for enticement? Blue ribbon waters? A gentle rise? A swift current? Where's my fly? Did you land her?
.. Was it this good last year? Is it always this hard? The words and images of drinking and dunking seem continuously interchangeable. Where were we last night? Do fish, once caught, get bigger with each retelling of the tale? Do the girls all get prettier at closing time?
.. The end of the rise? All played out? One last cast? Trophy waters, trophy women? It can't be cabin fever, winter's only five months old.
.. We recall, very fondly, these fine and beautiful fish that we caught . . . . Gorgeous!

BIG TIME HELP FOR TROUT

T.U. & Whirling Disease Foundation Join Forces

.. Protect Your Waters let's us know about a merger in the efforts of Trout Unlimited and The Whirling Disease Foundation to combat the Myxobolus cerebralis parasite that causes whirling disease as well as the broader issues of invasive species.

.. Read it here:
Protect Your Waters
Denver Post
T.U. Home
T.U. Press Release
Whirling Disease Home
Whirling Disease Interactive Mapping Project (MSU)

CARRY Formula 409 !!
(click image for large view)

NATIVE - WILD - INVASIVE - INTRODUCED

JUST WHAT FISH IS YA AFTER ?

.. From Fishing Jones comes a note about an article in the Smithsonian Magazine about the sometimes not so quiet battle about introduced fish and the 'sportsmen' that foster their perpetuation. The FISH STORY gives us an insight into the introduction of non native trout, and their propagation through aquaculture . . . worth a glance.
.. The Invasive Species Weblog lets us know that:

"the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released a draft report about climate change and aquatic invaders called "Effects of Climate Change on Aquatic Invasive Species and Implications for Management and Research". The 70-page document is aimed at those who assess and manage aquatic resources in order to provide them with information about the potential impacts that climate change could have on invasive species found in both aquatic and wetland ecosystems. It includes a state-by-state review of whether climate change is being taken into account when developing management strategies for aquatic invasive species and identifies gaps in information available to managers.

.. The Whirling Disease Foundation has announced a conservation partnership with Hodgman. Hodgman will provide financial support for the foundation's research projects and the annual Whirling Disease Symposium. Also joining in the support is Scientific Anglers. They are offering a free fly box, (with special logo and custom tied flies,) to everyone that donates $25 to the foundation.
.. Have you seen Spey Girl? If you want more Spey Girl videos, try ALEX IVANOVIC - Great source of "Error 404." (Here's the video page.)

Opener Approaching - Grayling Quest Begins

WATERS LOOK GOOD
Grayling In News, Again
groupie hatch blooming
zebras attack washington

.. As the Memorial Day weekend opener approaches we're getting our gear together for the annual Grayling quest. We scouted the water in the park and the rivers in the Madison drainage are a bit tame, even with the warm weather and the slightly high runoff.
.. Meadows that were flooded last year are just a 'scosh' high and very clear for this time of year. The diminishing snow pack bodes well for early season fishing - summer is looking "iffy" right now.
.. The waters in the Yellowstone drainage are a bit colored and look more seasonal, (and they open a bit later too.) The weather forecast for opening weekend is looking salubrious - but that is subject to change on an instant's notice.
.. The drift boats are beginning to appear in town, the guides are arriving and scouting the waters, beer supplies are being stockpiled, and the Spring crush at wader-friendly motels is apparent already. There may be a room or two available , but the desk jockeys inform us that it's going to be a busy weekend. Check the sidebar for wader-friendly lodging. Tell them hello for us.
.. One sure sign that the fishing guides have arrived is the blossoming of the "groupie hatch." A little publicized event that takes place in the pubs of West Yellowstone every year at this time.
.. Hoards of attractive, beer-swilling, fish-catching, females crowd the corners of the pubs. They pounce upon any unwary guide that happens to enter for a moment of well deserved relaxation.
.. Be forewarned that if you enter any of the West Yellowstone imbiberies you may be assaulted if you look like a guide - or even if you might know a guide. It's a tough life being a fly fishing guide in Yellowstone.
.. Recently we posted a note about the lack of action on Grayling protection. The original note by George Wuethner that we referenced has sparked a spirited debate about the pros and cons of any action on behalf of the fish. As of today there are 23 extensive comments that contain good information, (and an occasional diatribe.) This is an important issue and bears watching.
.. The Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks site provides basic information about the species in Montana. The Arctic Grayling Recovery Program site details the recovery efforts that are planned and are being carried out currently.
.. Protect Your Waters reminds us of the continuing battle against invasive species that are cropping up in new places almost daily. The Eastern Sierra Opener has come and gone, but remember that there are New Zealand Mud Snails in the Owens River - take precautions with your gear.
.. The fight against Whirling Disease in Maryland has taken a new twist, and the state has killed an additional 20,000 trout in its efforts there.
.. There have been boats with zebra mussels discovered in Washington. Washington state officials are expanding their efforts at inspection stations and weigh-stations in their effort to intercept the invader.