Brown Trout vs. Brook Trout

A recently published U.S. Geological Survey study examined how native brook trout interact with non-native brown trout under rising stream temperatures.

During the study, which is one of the first experimental studies linking climate change and invasive species biology, researchers found that non-native brown trout limited the ability of native brook trout to utilize warmer stream temperatures.

In contrast, removal of brown trout resulted in the expansion of brook trout into warmer waters.

The brook trout is a freshwater fish species native to eastern North America and threatened by climate change because of its requirement for cold stream temperatures.

Brown trout are native to Europe and have been introduced throughout much of the territory of native Brook Trout.

The research indicates that native brook trout were less resilient to climate change compared to the invasive brown trout because the native fish has less tolerance to higher water temperatures.

The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

source: U.S. Geological Survey

North Carolina Wounded Warrior Fly-fishing Clinics

Starting Jan. 8, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will conduct fly-fishing clinics for soldiers from Fort Bragg’s Wounded Warrior Transition Battalion.

The free clinics, which are open only to soldiers and their families, will be held on the second Wednesday of each month through March. 

For more information, visit: http://www.ncwildlife.org/fishing

source: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Bull Trout Restoration

Over the last two centuries, bull trout populations have declined across North America. The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, once thrived in the Columbia River Basin and coastal rivers of Washington and Oregon, extending north into British Columbia and Alberta.

Bull trout are members of the genus Salvelinus, which also includes Arctic char, brook trout, and lake trout. Like its relatives, male bull trout exhibit brilliant colors during the spawning season. Bull trout migrate during summer, traveling up to 150 miles from lakes and rivers upstream to their natal headwaters to spawn.

A variety of factors have been cited in the decline of bull trout. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, migratory fish passage obstacles, poor water quality, the effects of climate change, bounty fishing, and the introduction of non-native fish species.

Currently, American bull trout populations are scattered across portions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. They populate several river systems including the Klamath,Columbia and Snake River Basins. In 1998, bull trout were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

In 2011, bull trout were re-introduced into the Clackamas River after a nearly 50-year absence. The reintroduction team included representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S.Geological Survey, and Mt. Hood National Forest. The project was one of several bull trout restoration programs that are ongoing in western river systems.

Maryland Trout Stream Restoration

In Maryland, wild brook trout now have access to a few more miles of coldwater stream habitat. During the summer of 2011, the Savage River Watershed Association (SRWA) held an event to celebrate completion of the Savage River Headwater Dam Removal and Stream Restoration Project.

The project restored natural stream conditions along a 600 foot section of the upper Savage River to improve habitat for Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, Maryland’s only native freshwater trout species.

In 2006 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) listed brook trout as a "Species in Greatest Need of Conservation" leading to the development of a brook trout Fisheries Management Plan.

The plan includes a focus on the upper Savage River resource, which includes over 100 miles of interconnected streams. The area makes of 25% of all Maryland wild brook trout habitat.

The restoration project included the removal of an obsolete dam on the upper Savage River. During the 2008-2010 summer seasons, biologists with Maryland DNR’s Inland Fisheries Management Division monitored water temperatures above and below the dam.

According to biologists, peak stream temperatures exceeded 75 degrees F below the impoundment, yet never exceeded 65 degrees F above the impoundment. When stream temperatures exceed 70 degrees F for extended periods, brook trout cannot survive.

The Watershed Association and partners identified the area as a restoration site as the impoundment was not only causing a thermal impact, it also blocked fish passage to a headwater reach along the main stem of the Savage River.

The project involved the engineering and implementation of a natural stream flow that bypassed the reservoir and converted it to a wetland. Natural stream design methods were used to create in-stream structures that add aquatic habitat and provide stream bank stability.

The restoration project allowed fish access to 2.5 stream miles upstream from the preexisting dam, restored natural stream features and decreased water temperatures in the stream.

The former pond area was converted to a wetland, providing wildlife habitat, water quality improvement, and flood storage. The site will serve as a demonstration for stream restoration activities and brook trout habitat improvement projects.

source: Savage River Watershed Association

Lake Tahoe Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Stocking Program

Over the next few months, approximately 22,000 Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) will be stocked in Lake Tahoe. The cutthroat trout will be approximately nine inches in length when released.

This is the first time in more than 35 years that the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) will be stocking Lake Tahoe with Lahontan cutthroat trout, the only trout species native to the Basin.

In response to a growing interest in the Tahoe area for the restoration of native species, an interagency team was created to explore opportunities to restore LCT to the Basin.

The team identified NDOW's stocking efforts at Lake Tahoe as an opportunity to provide anglers with the chance to catch native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

For more information, visit www.ndow.org

Bull Trout Restoration

bull trout      (photo credit: USFWS)

As part of an overall recovery strategy for bull trout, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will reintroduce the species to the Clackamas River, a major tributary of the Willamette River.

Beginning in the summer of 2011, bull trout of different life stages will be reintroduced into historic bull trout habitat in the upper Clackamas River, within the Mt. Hood National Forest.

The project is expected to include additional fish transfers annually for at least seven and possibly up to 15 years.  The goal is to reestablish a self-sustaining population of 300-500 spawning adult bull trout within 20 years.

Bull trout are primarily threatened by habitat degradation and fragmentation, blockage of migratory corridors from hydroelectric and diversion dams, poor water quality, the effects of climate change, and past fisheries management practices, including targeted eradication through bounty fishing and the introduction of non-native species such as brown, lake, and brook trout.

Bull trout have been extirpated from four sub-basins in the Willamette River Basin, including the Clackamas River. Once widely distributed in the Clackamas River, the last known bull trout was documented there in 1963.  The species is highly unlikely to re-colonize the area naturally due to the geographic distance to existing bull trout populations.

Once plentiful throughout the coldwater rivers and lakes of the Northwest, bull trout populations in the U.S. are now scattered and patchy in portions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.

Bull trout occur in the Columbia and Snake River Basins, extending east to headwater streams in Montana and Idaho and north into Canada, and south into the Klamath River Basin in south-central Oregon.  Though still wide-ranging, many of the remaining populations are small and isolated from each other.

Some bull trout populations are migratory, spending portions of their life cycle in larger rivers or lakes before returning to smaller streams to spawn, while others complete their entire life cycle in the same stream. Some bull trout in the Coastal-Puget Sound population migrate between fresh- and saltwater.

Bull trout require extremely cold, clean water and specific habitat features, as well as connectivity from river, lake, and ocean habitats to headwater streams for annual spawning and feeding migrations.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Spring Rainbow Trout Stocking Programs

Rainbow trout are among the most sought after of all freshwater fish. Many states offer trout stocking programs and some biologists are already busy releasing fish for 2011.

The following list includes a sampling of 2011 state trout stocking programs which provide anglers with opportunities to catch rainbow trout during late-winter and early-spring:

Mid-Atlantic

In Maryland, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun its MD trout stocking season, releasing approximately 327,000 rainbows and brown trout across the State.

Trout stocking in Lake Thompson is underway in Virginia with more trout to be added thru May.

West Virginia has announced its 2011 trout stocking program.

Central USA

The 2011 Ohio fish stocking program will release more than 80,700 rainbow trout into 48 Ohio lakes and ponds.

Rainbow trout fishing will also be available in Missouri trout parks. Anglers can fish for trout at Roaring River State Park near Cassville, Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon and Montauk State Park near Salem.

In Indiana, rainbow trout stocked in Fort Harrison State Park should be in the wild by in late March.

Pacific Coast

The annual trout stocking of Oregon’s north coast lakes will resume in early March. A number of lakes are scheduled to be stocked with legal size (about 8-10”) rainbow trout.


Gulf Coast

In Texas, anglers can catch rainbows at the Tyler Nature Center Trout Fest, a spring break fishing event for kids.

Maryland Spring Trout Stocking Schedule

In February, 2011, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) plans to begin stocking rainbow and brown trout into freshwater streams and ponds across the State. According to the agency, approximately 327,000 fish will be released.

The stocking schedule is online at www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/stocking and is also available at DNR Regional Service Centers and license vendors. Anglers can also call 1-800-688-3467 for fish stocking updates.

Pre-season stocking usually starts in the eastern part of the State followed by the western region as the weather warms up.

source: MD DNR

Update: In 2011, some Maryland stocked trout were infected with whirling disease

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2011 Winter Steelhead Guide

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is offering a 2011 Winter Steelhead Guide. The guide offers the novice steelhead angler an overview of where and when to fish during the winter steelhead season.

The guide also includes updates on access and regulations, and lists other changes that could affect fishing.

Anglers will find the guide on ODFW’s website at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/RR/steelhead_guide/index.asp