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Balancing Bonneville Cutthroat Trout with Non- native Salmonids in Great Basin National Park Gretchen M. Baker, Neal W. Darby, Tod B. Williams National Park Service
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National Park Service. Balancing Bonneville Cutthroat Trout with Non-native Salmonids in Great Basin National Park Gretchen M. Baker, Neal W. Darby, Tod B. Williams. Great Basin National Park. 10 perennial streams 6 streams in Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT) habitat. BCT Background. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Balancing Bonneville Cutthroat Trout with Non-native Salmonids in Great Basin National ParkGretchen M. Baker, Neal W. Darby, Tod B. Williams
National Park Service
Great Basin National Park
• 10 perennial streams
• 6 streams in Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT) habitat
• Lake Bonneville– Highest extent
– Desiccation
• BCT Declines– Non-native fish
– Logging
– Grazing
BCT Background
Great Basin National Park
Two-pronged approach
• Balancing management– BCT Restoration– Recreational Fishing
• 1999 Park Fisheries Management Plan– Objectives
Planning
• 2000 BCT Rangewide Conservation Agreement– Signed by states of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada
– US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service
– US Forest Service
– Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission
– Support from Trout Unlimited and others
Methods-BCT Reintroduction
BCT Reintroduction Steps1. Baseline surveys
2. Pre-treatment surveys
3. Treatment
4. Post-treatment effectiveness monitoring
5. BCT reintroduction
6. Post-reintroduction effectiveness monitoring
Fishing Streams
• Strawberry— BCT 2002
• Mill Creek—remnant BCT population found
• South Fork Baker—BCT 2005
• Upper Snake Creek—BCT 2004
• South Fork Big Wash—BCT 2000
• Big Wash—BCT 2003
• Pine & Ridge Creeks—pure BCT
BCT Stream
Other Fish
Methods-Recreational Fishing
• Monitoring• Volunteer
recruitment• Inclusion in park
planning
Results-BCT
• BCT in 17 miles of streams
• Good recruitment
• Increase in size
South Fork Big Wash--2000
2000 SFBW BCT Reintroduction
02468
101214161820
0 20 40 60 80 100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
Total Length (mm)
Nu
mb
er o
f fi
sh (
n=
56)
South Fork Big Wash--2002
2002 SFBW BCT Survey
02468
101214161820
0 20 40 60 80 100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
Total Length (mm)
Nu
mb
er o
f F
ish
(n
=31
)
South Fork Big Wash--2004
2004 SFBW BCT Survey
02468
101214161820
0 20 40 60 80 100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
Total Length (mm)
Nu
mb
er o
f F
ish
(n
=65
)
Results-BCT
• Strawberry Creek- 55% increase in BCT from 2003 to 2004
• Macroinvertebrate recovery
Results-Recreational Fishing
• Perception of no fish due to lack of stocking
Baker Population Surveys
• Population increasing• Brown trout decreasing in size• Brook and rainbow trout increasing
slightly
Year Fish/mile Method
2003 2527 3 pass, 100 m
1990 750* 1 pass, 500 ft
*1088/mile including recorded misses125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
20031990
Survey year
Le
ng
th o
f fi
sh
(m
m)
brook
brown
rainbow
Lehman Population Surveys
• Population increasing• Size of fish fluctuating
Year Fish/mile Method
2004 2157 3 pass, 100 m
2003 2528 3 pass, 100 m
1990 449* 1 pass, 600 ft
1984** 1109^ 1 pass, 100 ft
1952 163 not specified*774 fish/mile including recorded misses
** Pop survey done 17 days after a plant of 749 fish; 41% of fish caught were planted based on fin wear characteristics;
^1373 fish/mile including recorded misses
Size of Lehman Creek fish
0
50
100
150
200
250
200420031990
Survey year
Len
gth
(m
m)
brook
brown
rainbow
Caught 9/2/04
340 mm (13 in)
Comparing BCT to non-natives
• BCT density greater than other species
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0
BCT
rainbow
brook
brown
rainbow
brook
brown
Mill
Le
hman
Bak
er
Cre
ek a
nd
Sp
ecie
s
# fish/100m2
Results-Publicity
• Brochure• Interviews• Articles
Other results
• Volunteers• Thinning• Park planning• Fire rehab
Discussion
• Successful park project
• Politics• Adaptive
Management• Timetable
The Future
• Monitor non-native populations• Monitor/manage BCT populations• 5-10 years, BCT sustainable fishery within
park
Acknowledgements
Nevada Department of Wildlife
US Forest Service
BLM
Trout Unlimited
National Park Service
Macroinvertebrate Recovery
• Decline of macroinvertebrate abundance one month following the antimycin treatment on Snake Creek and the rotenone treatment on Strawberry Creek.
85%
61%
99%
54%
0% 50% 100% 150%
Strawberry
Snake
Cre
ek
Percent Decline
EPT abundance
Overall abundance
Macroinvertebrate Recovery
• Decline of macroinvertebrate taxa one month following the antimycin treatment on Snake Creek and the rotenone treatment on Strawberry Creek.
95%
29%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Strawberry
Snake
Cre
ek
Percent Decline
