Yellowstone fishing and boating fee increases

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (1) – 3/25/21

As the weather warms and Yellowstone National Park begins plowing the roads for summer travel, many summer recreationists look forward to peaceful days on the park’s rivers and lakes. Yellowstone announced in a press release on March 24 that while fishing and boating permits are now on sale, there is a slight increase for the 2021 summer season. The additional funds will go toward conservation efforts. Anglers can purchase their permits on recreation.gov now, or in the park once it opens for the summer season. The cost of a fishing permit has not changed since 2012. 

Last year, the National Park Service identified a financial shortage in its efforts to reduce aquatic invasive species, and with the park’s increased popularity—boaters alone increased by 10 percent last year—it saw an opportunity to better fund their conservation efforts to protect and recover native fish and restore the Yellowstone Lake ecosystem, which currently costs the park nearly $3 million annually. “Scientists estimate another five years of sustained effort is needed at that investment level to achieve the park’s goals of native Yellowstone cutthroat trout restoration and AIS prevention, early detection and eradication,” the park said the release.