AQUATIC FRONTS

Presents

Yellowstone Lake

By: Katelin Kukk

Yellowstone Lake is known as the largest high-elevation lake in North America. It remains cold year-round and freezes over completely in December. The lake is a natural body of water that is fed by the Yellowstone River and supports the largest population of wild cutthroat trout. Wildlife is abundant around the shoreline, and you can often find moose at dusk and dawn around the lake’s perimeter.

Unfortunately, Yellowstone Lake has had some environmental concerns over the years. One of the most significant issues is the decline of native cutthroat trout due to predation by lake trout, an invasive non-native species. Lake trout were unknowingly introduced in the early 1990s and have caused disruptions to the lake’s ecosystem ever since. Their large size and deep-water habitat have made them free of any natural predators.  To combat their increasing population, extensive gill netting, tracking, piscicides, and more have been used to exterminate lake trout.

Volunteer efforts have been essential to this effort. In 2023 alone, volunteers who were part of the Fly-Fishing Program contributed over 1,100 hours tagging and recording cutthroat trout to help research their populations. Working together, the National Park Service and other partnered crews removed over 400,000 lake trout during 2023 and 2024 to help restore balance. Complete elimination of lake trout is not possible, but maintaining our efforts can certainly keep them at bay. 

Yellowstone Lake

Keep our waters beautiful!

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AQUATIC FRONTS

Oceanic reports on the front lines of environmental conservation.