The East Yellowstone Chapter of Trout Unlimited will begin heading to area irrigation canals next week to rescue stranded trout as the ditches are drained at the end of the season. Their work will be easier this year thanks to a new fish saving device keeping trout in the North Fork from finding their way into the canal. 

The group traditionally rescued hundreds of fish from the North Fork ditch as diverted water is drained at the end of the irrigation season. But last year’s effort only netted a few dozen fish after a fish screen structure was installed.

Installing the screen was expensive, costing more than $700,000, but it is hoped it will save a lot of Northwest Wyoming’s trophy fish.

“Sampling last year suggested that the screen finally works. And therefore there won’t be many fish to rescue,” said chapter member Dr. Tom Anderson.

Funds to build the structure were donated from several sources, including chapter members and Trout Unlimited, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Wyoming Water Development Project and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Fund, among other institutions. It is the first working fish screen in the area, but hopefully not the last, said chapter president Kathy Crofts.

Each year volunteers hope to save hundreds of trout a day during the effort, returning them to their native waters before the canals dry up. The effort has been ongoing for the past two decades, saving tens of thousands of trout from going to waste. 

Considering the number of fish the rescued trout have spawned, the group has possibly added a significant amount of fish to area waters. Adult female trout can lay as many as 500 to 1,000 eggs a year.

It’s an important effort, Anderson said. But it’s not just for Trout Unlimited members. 

The Trout Unlimited chapter is trying to recruit non-member volunteers of all ages to help in the effort. They begin staging for the rescue mission Tuesday, Oct. 18 at the Rocky Mountain Discount Sports parking lot in Cody at 8 a.m for the next seven to 15 days, depending on canal and weather conditions. Rescue schedules have to remain fluid through the rescue season to react to arbitrary closures of each irrigation district gates, followed by when water adequately drains from each ditch.

The project is great for school kids, Anderson said, and historically includes outdoor club members, science classes from area schools, members of FFA, and homeschool kids. Students usually attend for a half day, depending on availability.  

Youth are great volunteers, but it also gives them the opportunity to “experience science in a relevant way,” he said. 

“And they get free doughnuts and lunch,” he added.

Adults wanting to experience the unique event are also encouraged to join in the fun, with several types of jobs, from netting stranded fish to bucket brigades moving fish to mobile tanks, or fish counters and drivers.

“If you want to volunteer, we’ll find you a job based on your physical abilities,” Crofts said.

Volunteers willing to get into the ditches and net fish need to bring waterproof waders or irrigation boots and rubber gloves to protect from the small electrical charges used to briefly immobilize the fish. Crofts said they also encourage those wanting to watch the rescue to attend.

Organizers hope to reinvigorate efforts after the rescue work was slowed recently by COVID-19 distancing protocols hampered the efforts for the past two years. They hope to be running larger crews this year with fewer fears of the virus spreading to older members of the chapter.

Crofts said the rescue is important because it’s “part of what makes us human.”

“It’s like if a whale washed up on shore after being frightened by a boat and we didn’t try to save it,” she said.

She pointed out the rescue effort is especially beneficial because many of the fish are larger in size and are more likely to spawn the following season.

Volunteers can show up at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports before 8 a.m. on scheduled days or call Kathy Crofts at 307-921-8591 or Dave Sweet, 307-899-9959. The tentative schedule (based on current water schedules) will run Oct. 18-24.

Trout Unlimited meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Governor’s Room of The Irma.