Few studies have examined the effect of fire on the aquatic biota, and none has adequately addressed major aspects of aquatic ecosystem function. Most of the research has examined the effects of fire on water chemistry (Schindler et al. 1980, Tiedemann et al. 1979). Nevertheless, it is possible to develop a set of predictions regarding the immediate, near-term, and long-term consequences of the 1988 fires in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) by supplementing the existing information base on fire response and general ecological behavior of aquatic ecosystems with knowledge of the response of aquatic systems to logging and to physical disturbances within the channel.