Lecture: Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
April 3 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm MDT
Suppression of an illegally introduced Walleye population to sustain a wild trout fishery in Buffalo Bill Reservoir
By Jason Burckhardt
April 3, 2025
Noon–1 p.m.
Coe Auditorium
Join us for the April Lunchtime Expedition, when Jason Burckhardt, Fisheries Biologist with Cody Region of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, presents Suppression of an Illegally Introduced Walleye Population to Sustain a Wild Trout Fishery in Buffalo Bill Reservoir.
While talks in our Lunchtime Expedition series are not live streamed, they will be recorded and posted to the Draper Museum’s YouTube channel within a day of their presentation.
About the program
Buffalo Bill Reservoir harbors a relatively unique adfluvial population of rainbow and cutthroat trout that annually migrate into the North Fork Shoshone and tributaries to spawn. This adult trout migration fuels a fishery of national importance. Juvenile trout migrate from the North Fork of the Shoshone and tributaries to Buffalo Bill Reservoir to grow and mature.
Walleye, discovered in Buffalo Bill Reservoir in 2008, were illegally introduced as early as 2002. Per capita walleye consumption of juvenile trout was substantial and the potential expansion of the walleye population threatened the sustainability of the trout population. The possibility of suppressing this walleye population was researched, methods of suppression were analyzed, and an age-structured population model was developed that suggested the suppression of this walleye population was feasible using gillnetting of spawning congregations and unlimited angler harvest.
Suppression of this walleye population in the form of gillnetting and electrofishing removals during spring spawning congregations and unlimited harvest by anglers has occurred since 2017. Otoliths removed from Walleye captured during suppression activities have been used to populate the age-structured population model and suggest that suppression efforts have been successful at preventing the growth of the Walleye population in most years.
About the speaker
Jason Burckhardt is a seasoned Fisheries Biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, dedicating the past 23 years to conserving and improving fishing opportunities and managing native fish populations within the Big Horn Basin. He holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Wyoming, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Truman State University.
Outside of his professional career, he enjoys spending time with his family outdoors, is a committed member of Park County Search and Rescue, and enjoys mentoring and teaching leadership skills to the local Scout Troop.
Upcoming Lunchtime Expeditions
The series generally continues on the first Thursday of each month from February through December. Confirmed speakers below:
• May 1: Revealing the Depths of Our Sagebrush Seas, Dr. Anna Chalfoun, University of Wyoming
• June 5: Dr. Laura Burkle, Montana State University, Topic TBD
Have you missed a Lunchtime Expedition?
The talks in this series are gathered in YouTube playlists by year:
• 2024 Lunchtime Expeditions
• 2023 Lunchtime Expeditions
