Yellowstone River Closure Partial Roll Back!

Sept. 1 Update:

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission opened two sections of the Yellowstone River Thursday, Sept. 1, due to the improvement of environmental conditions that led the Commission to close the river and all of its associated tributaries on Aug. 19.

In a teleconference Thursday, after considering current test results and river conditions, the Commission opened the uppermost section of the Yellowstone to non-angling recreation only (with the mainstem of the Yellowstone through much of Paradise Valley south of Livingston remaining closed) and the section below Livingston opening completely to recreation.

The details of the decision are as follows:

Section 1

The Yellowstone River and all of its tributaries from the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, downstream to the Carbella Fishing Access Site, which is operated by the Bureau of Land Management, are open to all non-angling recreational uses. Angling remains closed in this section to protect the Yellowstone cutthroat trout fishery. On Sept. 6, department biologists will float this section to assess any change in fishery health during this period of non-angling recreational use. In the event this section does not show any detrimental change in fishery health, it will be open to all uses beginning Sept. 8. The public will be notified via press-release of the status of this section on Sept. 7.

 Section 2

The mainstem Yellowstone River from the Carbella BLM Fishing Access Site downstream to the Highway 89 Bridge Fishing Access Site near Livingston, remains closed to all public occupation and recreation per the original Aug. 19 closure. However, all Yellowstone River tributaries in this section, including Armstrong, Depuy’s, and Nelson’s Spring Creeks, are open to all uses.

Section 3

The Yellowstone River and all of its tributaries downstream from the Highway 89 Bridge Fishing Access Site to the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel are open to all uses, with the exception of the Shields River and all of its tributaries, which remain closed to all public occupation and recreation per the original Aug. 19 closure in order to protect the Yellowstone cutthroat trout fishery. The mainstem Yellowstone River and all tributaries downstream from the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel were never part of a closure, and remain open to all uses.

In the stretches of the Yellowstone River opened Thursday, FWP has no further evidence of dead fish.

Gov. Steve Bullock supported the decision to open parts of the Yellowstone River and the implications of the decision to the local economy.

“I join Montanans in being encouraged by this first step, but we’re not out of the woods yet and we must ensure that we are safeguarding Montana jobs while keeping this threat at bay,” said Governor Steve Bullock. “A threat to the health of Montana’s fish populations is a threat to Montana’s entire outdoor economy and the tens of thousands of jobs it sustains, and I want to thank all Montanans and visitors for their ongoing support as we work to protect and preserve the health and economic benefit of the Yellowstone River for this and future generations."

The Commission and FWP appreciate the public support and responsiveness to the closure that was deemed necessary to protect the sustainability of the Yellowstone River fishery.

“Recognizing the value of the fishery, the Commission is restoring appropriate and beneficial uses of the Yellowstone River system as quickly as is prudent, given the unprecedented nature of the event,” said Commission chairman Dan Vermillion.