Multiple efforts are underway to study the historic population crash among trout in the Jefferson Basin. One non-profit is starting a private research effort at the Big Hole River that they hope will supplement work being done by the state.
As the temperature ratchets up on a bluebird August morning, Dr. Kyle Flynn and his son Sam wade out into the Big Hole River with a pair of cinder blocks to weigh down a long plastic tube filled with water quality monitoring equipment.
“It’s deployed and recording, and we’ll have some data at the end of the week,” Flynn said.
Flynn is the lead scientist for Save Wild Trout, an organization of outfitters, scientists and citizens. He’s set up eight stations throughout the Jefferson Basin to get baseline water quality data that could inform why trout populations have declined to record lows.
Flynn said the intention is to supplement other studies that Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and Montana State University will begin next spring.
“They’re going to be focusing on the biological side of things, so that’s the fish. What we’re working on is the media the fish live in, which is the water,” Flynn said.
Flynn will collect around a week’s worth of data this August to get a snapshot of the river’s condition. He hopes to collect more data next summer.
Flynn said the organization will provide that data to FWP, hoping the agency can use it to broaden their understanding of the trout decline and inform possible management actions.
