Portions of three rivers in Yellowstone National Park will open about a earlier than usual for fishing this year.
Fishing season for parts of Gibbon, Madison, and Firehole Rivers will start May 1 instead of on Memorial Day weekend. All three waterways are in the west side of the park.
"These rivers are easily accessed earlier in May, unlike other waters in Yellowstone," park spokesperson Linda Veress said in an email. "The park will continue evaluating other waters and may change the opening season dates if deemed appropriate in other areas."
The move could offset closures that occur to ease stress on fish populations when temperatures get too warm and water levels too low in the summer.
"It's not surprising the park is shifting fishing season earlier in the year as the impacts of a changing climate come into focus," Sierra Harris, climate and water conservation manager for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said in an email.
A climate assessment co-authored by the coalition shows that the region has warmed by 2.3 degrees on average and high elevation snowpack has dropped by 25 percent.
"As we see summertime fishing closures move earlier due to warmer water temperatures, there's bound to be demand to open rivers earlier in the season," Harris said.
The park will continue to closely monitor water temperatures and levels and close waters when appropriate, Veress added.
"These particular rivers, early in May, are cold and high and we are not concerned with over stressing fish until water levels drop and temperatures rise, usually later into the summer," she said. "If anything, these are the best times of year to fish these particular waters."
The areas opening May 1 are:
- The Firehole River and all associated tributaries downstream to the confluence with the Gibbon River at Madison Junction.
- The Gibbon River and all associated tributaries from the bridge on the Grand Loop Road at the Norris Campground entrance downstream to the confluence with the Firehole River at Madison Junction.
- The Madison River and all associated tributaries from the Montana-Wyoming state line upstream to the confluence with the Gibbon and Firehole rivers at Madison Junction.
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