Hooking Mortality of Cutthroat Trout in a Catch-and-Release Segment of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park

Hooking mortality was examined in a population of wild cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki bouvieri) in a portion of the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, which is managed under catch-and-release regulations. The number of trout dying from capture and release in the 4.5-km study area was assessed by searching for trout carcasses in established snorkeling routes. We divided our estimate of angler-induced mortalities by cutthroat trout abundance and creel survey data to estimate single capture hooking mortality and exploitation rates resulting from catch-and-release angling in the study area. The average number of times cutthroat trout were recaptured during the study period was estimated from the results of the creel survey and cutthroat trout abundance data. The hooking mortality rate per single capture was 0.3%. In 1981, 3% of the estimated cutthroat trout population died after capture and release by anglers. Cutthroat trout in the study area were captured an average of 9.7 times during the study period in 1981.