Boating and Fish Season Opens May 25 in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park encourages the public to get ready for boating and fishing season, which begins in less than a month.

On Saturday, May 25^th, the park will open its waterways to recreational boaters and anglers, who are encouraged to clean, drain, and dry all equipment prior to arriving in the park to minimize the risk of introducing aquatic invasive species into Yellowstone’s waters.

New this year, there will be a temporary ban of watercraft equipped with sealed internal ballast tanks on all park waters. Sue Mills, AIS Coordinator at Yellowstone, says boats with sealed internal water ballast tanks are extremely difficult to clean and drain, so they pose a high risk of invasive species transmission into park waters.

Park officials say that aquatic invasive species pose a grave and growing threat to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and surrounding economies. They can quickly and drastically alter habitats and food webs, causing permanent declines in sport fish and food resources for native wildlife.

If nonnative mussels are found in Yellowstone, park waters may close to all watercraft to prevent the spread to other waterways.