International Trout Congress

The American Museum of Fly Fishing is proud to support the International Trout Congress, which will be held in Boseman, Montana from October 2-6, 2016. The congress is a seminal event celebrating trout and the passion they inspire around the world through art and literature, conservation, science, the global economy, and the human condition.

In addition to a prize package from the AMFF, the Trout Congress will feature a wonderful selection of auction items including a Sweetgrass bamboo rod.

Artist Mimi Matsuda, who was featured in the American Museum of Fly Fishing’s 2011 exhibition, A Graceful Rise, has contributed the original art and poster for the First International Trout Congress. Known for her whimsical paintings of fish and wildlife, Mimi is well known here in the region for her quality work and innovative ideas.

Native trout are found in a variety of habitats in North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. While no trout species were native to the southern hemisphere, trout have been widely introduced, and are now resident throughout its temperate zones as well. This dichotomy of native northerner and exotic southerner provides just one example of the rich fabric that The World of Trout will explore during this 5-day event, bringing together some of the world’s leading thinkers to synthesize knowledge about the species and discuss its future across the globe. At the same time, trout are the passion of non-scientists who spend time angling for them, writing about them and capturing them on canvas and on film. Probably no other species have been written about, painted and photographed more than trout. As technology has changed, trout in the blogosphere, in film festivals, and now captured on social media has allowed everyone to be part of the trout conversation. The World of Trout is organized both as a congress and a celebration.

As a congress, the aim is to assemble an international body for a series of structured lectures and discussions on the relationship between trout and humans. The World of Trout will focus its discussions on themes that include the diversity and role of trout worldwide, conservation issues, and trout in the literature, in the arts, and in the classroom. One unique feature of The World of Trout is “Trout Conversations” where discussions around a “place” that brings together all of the conference themes will be explored. There will be a number of these discussions throughout the event. A partial list of themes to be explored through invited papers, workshops, and informal gatherings included:

As a celebration, it seeks to infuse the congress with art, literature, angling lore, and special events that promise to make the event both instructional and entertaining. Events may include: