Hybrid Trout Threaten Montana's Native Cutthroats

Bad news for cutthroat anglers.

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/27/316316952/hybrid-trout-threaten-montanas-native-cutthroats

  The movement of fish species in this country has a long history. It was done to "improve" the fish fauna of newly settled (by European Americans) areas for food and recreation.  We introduced numerous species from the east to west and vice versa in the late 1800's in total ignorance of the consequences of these introductions on local populations.  In most instances we are stuck with the way things are now.
   RBT transplants through the west have had many harmful effects, this being one of them. Another is hybridization with golden trout populations in the southern Sierra.
There is is also concern about the effects of planting RBT in the alpine lakes of the Sierras on the native populations of amphibians which may have an impact on water quality in these lakes.
 Global climate change will be another stressor on our local ecosystems. Changes are coming, how they change, we will just have to wait and see.

 I'm saving money and looking for my first boat... hope to have one this summer.
 Safe paddling and tight lines to you all.
 

Really interesting - thanks for posting that. We always hear the introduced vs. native stories, but this one is especially interesting given the "time bomb" wrinkle of climate change.

If you're ever really bored and have some time to kill, check out this report on introduced fish species in California(scroll down to page 31 and start there) ... http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt8p30069f&brand=calisphere&doc.view=entire_text

We all know the striped bass and eastern brown trout stories, but it really opens your eyes as to how many of the most common and popular gamefish species are not native to California.

Just about all of them (in freshwater)!!!