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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials have announced a partial reopening of the Yellowstone River after a two-week closure.
According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the agency is reopening the stretch of river from Yellowstone’s north boundary near Gardiner to the Carbella Fishing Access Site to all non-fishing recreation.
They also announced the reopening of a section from the Highway 89 Bridge east of Livingston to Laurel. All forms of recreation, including fishing, would be permitted in this stretch. This includes all tributaries in this section, with the exception of the Shields River
We previously reported the agency had closed parts of the Yellowstone River after a parasite killed thousands of whitefish. Park Service officials did not announce any closures, saying they did not expect the parasite to impact fish within Park boundaries. From the Chronicle:
FWP said the closure would relieve stress on fish already struggling with the parasite or disease and give them a better chance to fight off infection. It also was meant to prevent people from unwittingly spreading the disease between watersheds.
FWP said the river sections they’re reopening have seen improved environmental conditions and some decline in the number of dead whitefish found by crews floating the river.
At this time, the NPS has no response to the reopening of parts of the Yellowstone.
