FAQ: Pilot Relocation of Wild Rainbows

Home » Blog » FAQ: Pilot Relocation of Wild Rainbows

Q: What does “relocation” mean?

A: Relocation means carefully moving wild trout from one part of our watershed to another under IDFG oversight. It is not hatchery stocking — these are wild fish from the same original lineage as the Henry’s Fork rainbows.

Q: What are the benefits of this approach?

A: The possibility for an immediate bump in angling opportunity, and high transport survival, based on past efforts (~98%).

Q: Why are you doing this?

A: To test whether relocation could be one more tool in our adaptive science toolbox. It’s a pilot experiment designed to learn, not a long-term policy.

Q: How will you measure success?

A: Monitoring survival rates, contribution to the population, and overall acceptance. Results will be transparent and guide future decisions.

 

View the joint press release from IDFG and HFF here.

Facebook
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Recent Posts

A photo taken of Island Park Reservoir while standing on the dam and looking north. The sky is cloudy, Mt Sawtelle sits with little snow in the background, and the reservoir is open water (save for a few small sheets of ice in the distance).
Frequently Asked Questions
Christina Morrisett

Reservoir Ices Off, Growing Season Turns On

Photo of an ice-free Island Park Reservoir taken on March 31, 2026 On March 31, 2026, with no accompanying commentary, HFF scientist Christina Morrisett stood on top of Island Park Dam and texted colleagues Rob Van Kirk and Jack McLaren photos of open water on Island Park Reservoir. Rob, eager to see that the reservoir reality matched what he was seeing in the real-time river data downstream, texted back, “Yep! That’s close enough to ice

Read More »
Photo of confluence of Warm River and Henry's Fork
Fishing
Rob Van Kirk

Water Supply and Water Quality Predictions for Summer 2026

The photo above captures the unprecedented situation we face at the beginning of April. The photo, of the confluence of Warm River and the Henry’s Fork, was taken on February 7 and shows the shocking lack of snow we experienced in the watershed all winter as a result of record-breaking warm temperatures. How will the warm winter and lack of snow affect water supply, water quantity, and fisheries? The highlights are below. If you want

Read More »
Person holding a rainbow trout.
Research and Monitoring
Rob Van Kirk

Water Year 2025: Everything you wanted to know and a lot more!

Every year since 2017, the Henry’s Fork Foundation Science and Technology Team has produced an annual technical report that documents all of our data collection and analysis activities for the year. Water and irrigation year 2025 was a very active year for the team, given one of the hottest and driest summers on record, our 11th year of aquatic invertebrate sampling, and the 20th year of monitoring the rainbow trout spawning run in the Buffalo

Read More »
Frequently Asked Questions
Jamie Powell

Q&A: Are We Seeing Fewer Bugs?

Are aquatic insects actually declining?  Not in the way many anglers might think. After 11 years of data collected across six sites on the Henry’s Fork, we’re seeing that overall invertebrate communities remain abundant, diverse, and comparable—or better—than other top western trout streams. In fact, key indicators show improving water quality and habitat conditions over time.   So why do hatches sometimes feel worse—especially at Last Chance? The short answer: it’s not just about insect

Read More »