MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park will open boating and fishing season Saturday, May 28, with a closing date of Oct. 31, the park announced this morning.
With the opening, the park is emphasizing the vital role visitors play in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).
Boaters and anglers must clean, drain and dry all boats and equipment prior to arriving in the park.
Watercraft equipped with sealed internal ballast tanks are banned from all park waters as inspections cannot always detect aquatic invaders in these types of boats. Felt-soled footwear is banned because it can carry microscopic disease organisms even after cleaning.
According to the park, AIS poses a grave and growing threat to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and surrounding economies. AIS can quickly and drastically transform habitats and food webs, causing permanent declines in sport fish and food resources for native wildlife.
In February 2022, an angler caught an invasive predatory smallmouth bass at the confluence of the Gardner and Yellowstone rivers just north of the park’s boundary at Gardiner, Montana. Soon afterward, biologists sampled the Gardner River upstream of where the smallmouth bass was caught and did not find evidence of this species within Yellowstone. However, since anglers are highly effective at suppressing invasive fish in waters where they coexist with native species like cutthroat trout, the regulations now require them to kill and report any smallmouth bass if caught within park waters.
Another concern is Dreissenid Mussels, including Zebra and Quagga Mussels, which are among the world’s most harmful invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and economic effects. If Zebra or Quagga mussels are found in Yellowstone, park waters may close to all watercraft to prevent the spread to other waterways.
Watercraft and angler float tubes must have a Yellowstone National Park permit and AIS inspection prior to launching in park waters. Permits and inspections are available for purchase 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days per week during the summer season at the following locations:
Motorized and non-motorized watercraft (including angler float tubes):
- Bridge Bay Ranger Station
- Grant Village Backcountry Office
- Lewis Lake Ranger Station
Angler float tubes only:
- West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center
- Bechler Ranger Station
- Mammoth Hot Springs Backcountry Office
- Northeast Entrance
