Native Salmonids
OUR MISSION
Westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout, two native salmonid species, hold significance environmentally, historically, and culturally. Because of their need for cold, clean, pristine waters, westslope cutthroat and bull trout are good indicators of stream health and ecosystem resilience. The Crown of the Continent Ecosystem is one of the last strongholds for these important native fish.
Increasing stream temperatures are expected to reduce the availability of suitable habitat for bull trout and increase levels of hybridization between westslope cutthroat trout and non-native trout species.
In November 2014, the Crown Managers Partnership, The Wilderness Society, Crown Conservation Initiative and the Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership held a workshop in Kalispell, MT entitled "Piloting Adaptation Strategies to Reduce Vulnerability and Increase Resiliency for Native Salmonids in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem."
Following the workshop a shortlist of potential projects were identified that focused on increasing resiliency, securing and restoring critical habitat and protecting native populations:
Conduct a conservation population assessment for native salmonids in the Crown;
Replicate, restore and/or trans-locate native salmonid populations to cold water refugia in priority trans-boundary watersheds east of the Divide;
Export successful bull trout trans-locations piloted in the North Fork of the Blackfoot to other landscapes;
Suppress invasive rainbow trout in the Transboundary Flathead and
Implement best management practices to other locales (if translocation is unsuccessful).
OUR WORK
The topic for the 2018 CMP Forum was Native Salmonid Recovery in the Crown. This forum brought together fish biologists, managers, academia and Tribes and First Nations from around the Crown to collaborate on high priority areas and recovery strategies.
Relevant Crown Research
Gravel-bed river floodplains are the ecological nexus of glaciated mountain landscapes. Hauer et al. Sci. Adv. 2016; 2:e1600026
Genetic Status and Conservation of Westslope Cutthroat Trout in Glacier National Park. Muhlfeld et al. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 145:1093-1109, 2016
A Framework for Assessing the Feasibility of Native Fish Conservation Translocations: Applications to Threatened Bull Trout. Galloway et al. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 36:754-768, 2016
Thank you to Johnny Armstrong, USGS for the use of the photos on this page.