Flows to Increase at Shoshone Falls

HEYBURN, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is boosting the amount of water flowing in the Snake River in an effort to help native fish between Palisades Reservoir and Shoshone Falls.

Michael Beus with the Bureau of Reclamation in Heyburn, Idaho told The Times-News  that the faster, deeper flow will give native cutthroat trout an advantage over invasive rainbow trout.

The bureau has been increasing flows every year since 2004.

Idaho Fish and Game fisheries manager Dan Garren says rainbow and cutthroat trout spawn at the same time and will cross-breed. The rainbows tend to be more aggressive and feed on cutthroat eggs and offspring, harming that population.

Water flows now are being increased by 10 percent daily until the maximum flow — 18,500 cubic feet per second — is reached.