Cutthroat To Return To Game Creek

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is planning to treat Game Creek south of Jackson to restore native Snake River cutthroat trout. Game Creek is a small tributary to Flat Creek and used to be a thriving spawning stream for Snake River Cutthroat Trout. Historical sampling records from 1953 and 1961 indicate Game Creek was 100% cutthroat trout. By 2016 however, no cutthroat trout were found during any sampling upstream of the highway. The disappearance of cutthroat trout can be traced back to two events: the periodic stocking of brook trout between 1941 and 1983, and the rerouting of Highway 89 to the west side of the Snake River in the 1960’s. This road construction included a new culvert for Game Creek, which no longer allowed for fish passage from Flat Creek. Biologists plan to remove the brook trout from the stream with a chemical agent one day during the summers of this and next year, and then restock Game Creek with cutthroat trout after detoxifying the water.
 
 
 
Photo by Mark Gocke, WGFD

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