Save Wild Trout

 

In the spring of 2023, local and national media began reporting that wild trout populations in Montana’s Jefferson Basin – an area that includes the world-famous Big Hole, Ruby, Beaverhead and Jefferson Rivers – were in severe distress. Legendary for cold-water fisheries that have historically supported an abundance of wild trout, the rivers in Southwest Montana are currently experiencing what some are calling a population-level collapse. SAVE WILD TROUT was launched to address this very crisis: a coalition of anglers, river advocates, concerned citizens, businesses, guides, and outfitters that have come together with the focused mission of protecting wild trout for the benefit of all.

On July 15, 2025, Save Wild Trout released the first ever “Jefferson River Abiotic Monitoring 2023-2024” report, highlighting the impaired nature of many of the basin’s fisheries. The report identifies key environmental stressors affecting cold water habitat in the Jefferson Basin, such as nutrient pollution, reduced dissolved oxygen, warming water temperatures, and increasing algal growth. You can read the entire report here.

 
 
 
Stacy Townsend