Jahtrout Productions is a documentary film group whose mission is to contribute to the protection of native salmonids and cold-water fisheries around the world by way of exciting, informative, and cutting edge documentaries.  Through its various projects, Jahtrout provides an inexpensive and visually effective form of conservation fundraising and generating public awareness by highlighting:

1. •the economic and bio-cultural connections to fish and fisheries.
   

2. •the imminent threats the threatened ecosystem faces.
   

3. •the emotional and spiritual value that the fish and the ecosystem bring to stakeholders. 
   

Jahtrout uses its films in conjunction with other organizations to educate and raise awareness as to the plight of these ecosystems and as a fundraising tool through the presentation of its films at events and online DVD sales.

Our team has completed two film projects since its beginning in 2005.  The first of these, End of the Road, was finished in May 2007.  Produced on a shoestring budget, End of the Road examines the taimen fishery in the Eg-Urr watershed of northwestern Mongolia and the efforts of the Taimen Conservation Fund to protect area streams from over-harvesting by sport fishers and from a proposed gold mine at the head of the watershed.  The film is told through the eyes of four traveling anglers who seek out a fish that once dominated the Eurasian landmass.  Their story is a poignant tale of the taimen’s last remaining stronghold and why it should be protected.

End of the Road received praise from Wild on the Fly Magazine for its “honest portrayal of local culture and real desire to help protect this unique natural resource.”

Our second project, Why We Go, explores the upper Snake River in Wyoming and Idaho, the historical progression of the tradition and heritage of fly fishing in the region, and the plight of the river’s only two native trout – Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat and Yellowstone cutthroat.  Once found throughout the Rocky Mountain West, cutthroat trout populations have been decimated by over-harvesting, fishery mismanagement, the building of dams and levees, habitat destruction, and the introduction of non-native trout species.  The upper Snake River represents one of the last strongholds of cutthroat trout.  Why We Go clearly shows the concerns local stakeholders have for cutthroat, what they feel the most severe threats are, and what can be done to protect this watershed and its trout.

Why We Go premiered in May 2007 at the Summit on the Snake in Jackson, Wyoming.  The Summit on the Snake is an annual fundraising and environmental education event presented by the Snake River Fund (www.snakeriverfund.org).  The mission of the Snake River Fund is to promote stewardship of and recreational access to the Snake River Watershed with an emphasis on partnerships, education and outreach efforts to the public.  One of its primary goals is the raising of funds for the protection of wildlife habitat, quality of the water, and a healthy fishery.  Proceeds generated from the May 2007 premiere went directly to this effort.