A small stream near Jackson, Wyoming, shows how restoring fish passage can help native fish return to waters they once inhabited. In Game Creek, a road culvert blocked fish movement for decades, while non-native brook trout established themselves and displaced native Snake River cutthroat trout.
According to Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wyoming Wildlife magazine, replacing the culvert restored the connection with nearby Flat Creek, allowing cutthroat trout to return to Game Creek naturally. By 2024, the number recorded in surveys had risen more than 14-fold from the 2021 count, while a separate removal effort had reduced the brook trout population by 97 per cent.
