You really can’t make this stuff up. Last week Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologists electroshocked the Big Hole River to collect data as part of a trout “adult mortality study” in conjunction with Montana State University. If the goal was to induce mortality in adult trout, they succeeded — and left a long trail of dead fish in their wake.

The incident was first reported by Craig Jones of Great Divide Outfitters , who was on the 3.8 mile stretch between the Jerry Creek and Greenwood Bottoms fishing access sites. As reported by the Montana Standard’s Duncan Adams, Jones put it bluntly: “I came in the day after they’d electrofished and there were dead fish everywhere. It’s just a bummer. It’s just one blow after another (for the river).”

Indeed, the

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