Madison river - Montana Wild Trout video

In 1974, Montana did something that stunned anglers across the state and the nation: it stopped stocking trout in streams and rivers that supported wild trout populations. After decades of use and millions of dollars invested, hatchery production was not helping, and in fact was the leading cause of the collapse of the fishery. Ground-breaking research on the Madison River in the late 1960s and early '70s organized by fisheries biologist Richard Vincent led to that decision. His study results showed that as hatchery production increased, trout abundance decreased, and native stocks were displaced.

Nearly forty years after Richard Vincent's study, Montana is one of America's premier trout fishing destinations. Focusing on habitat and discontinuing river hatchery stocking, trout fisheries have recovered and wild populations are self-sustaining.

On the anniversary of this monumental decision, Wild Fish Conservancy presents The Montana Story: Forty Years of Success. This is the first volume in a series of short videos called the Wild Fish Video Journal. This educational collection is an extension of our printed Wild Fish Journal.

TheMadison river has not been stocked with trout in over forty years...neither have most of Montana's other trout rivers. I found this video that gives a great explanation of how stocking trout in the Madison and other streams around Montana was hurting wild trout populations.  Once thought to help trout populations, hatchery trout were in fact causing the collapse of Montana's fisheries.  In 1970 biologists tested how the cessation of stocking on the Madison river would effect trout population and reproduction.  The immediate result was a brown trout population that nearly doubled in size. Later, the population of rainbow trout reached 868% of what it they were before the study.  We have this study and the end of Montana's stocking program to thank for the current quality of our Montana trout fisheries.