Blackfoot Lake in the Jewel Basin

Matt Boyer explains the project to NPR reporter Katrin Frye as he helps her with a westslope cutthroat she landed in Blackfoot Lake

A westslope cutthroat trout that was restocked in Blackfoot Lake after the hybrids were removed

FWP Fisheries Biologist Matt Boyer has authored a short section in a new book published in the Netherlands on restoring fish migration habitat. Boyer’s article concerns the South Fork of The Flathead Westslope Cutthroat Conservation Project. In the article, he describes removal of nonnative trout and restocking of native westslope cutthroat in a number of lakes in the South Fork drainage, and also touches on “overplanting” native trout in lakes with hybrids as an alternative to removal. The authors of the book present Boyer’s work as one of the examples of good fish conservation. Click here to learn more about this landmark book.