-
Stream Assessment and Monitoring
-
Research publications related to assessing and monitoring streams.
Located in
Science and Data
/
Brook Trout Related Publications
-
Summary of EBTJV Business Plan Priorities
-
This document summarizes the Brook Trout conservation priorities contained within the EBTJV's 2014-2018 Business Plan.
Located in
About EBTJV
/
EBTJV Management
/
EBTJV Business Plan
-
Sunday River "Chop and Drop", ME_FY07 Project
-
This project evaluated the impacts of adding large woody material to streams in order to attenuate flows and determined that adding this material resulted in positive trends in reducing flashiness of flows, improving Brook Trout habitat, and trapping sediment. However, one of the lessons learned was that a longer monitoring period than the three-year life of this project is needed. Overall, the project determined that "chop and drop" can be a relatively inexpensive and simple method to attenuate variability in flows, create, improve and restore Brook Trout habitat, and trap sediment.
Located in
Projects
/
Project Completion Reports
-
Symposium Proceedings
-
Located in
Science and Data
/
Symposium Proceedings
-
Technical Guide for Field Practitioners: Understanding and Monitoring Aquatic Organism Passage at Road-Stream Crossings
-
Stream connectivity has become increasingly important for river restoration and fish-habitat improvement projects (Fullerton et al. 2010) amidst increasing evidence that it plays a vital role in supporting aquatic organism populations (Roni et al. 2002; Gibson et al. 2005) and species diversity (Nislow et al. 2011). Recent emphasis on identifying and removing barriers in order to restore aquatic organism passage (AOP) is based on well-documented negative effects of road-stream crossings on fish (Rieman et al. 1997; Hudy et al. 2005) and the potential for cost-effective restoration of aquatic habitat. However, challenges remain in identifying barriers and prioritizing road-stream crossings for remediation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) has been working to stream-line the process of identifying and remediating road-stream crossings that are inadequate for AOP.
Located in
Science and Data
/
Brook Trout Related Publications
-
The Importance of Scale: Assessing and Predicting Brook Trout Status - Hudy et al. 2013
-
This article analyzes extensive fine-scale occupancy data across the southern historic range of Brook Trout.
Located in
Science and Data
/
Brook Trout Related Publications
/
Chesapeake Bay Brook Trout Management Strategy-References
-
The Importance of Scale: Assessing and Predicting Brook Trout Status in its Southern Native Range
-
Occupancy models are of increasing interest to managers and natural resource decision makers. Assessment of status and trends, as well as the specific drivers influencing occupancy, both may change as a function of scale, and analyses conducted at multiple scales can help identify important mechanisms leading to changes in distributions. We analyzed extensive fine-scale occupancy data across the southern historic range of the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis to determine which landscape metrics and thresholds were useful in predicting brook trout presence across three relevant spatial scales and how brook trout occupancy varied by scale. Percentage occupancy declined markedly with increased spatial resolution, as 52% of watersheds (HUC10) but only 32% of subwatersheds (HUC12) and 14% of catchments (HUC14) were occupied. Across all three scales, habitats which were exclusively occupied by native brook trout (without non-native trout) were rare (<10%). CART models using GIS-derived landscape predictor variables were developed for three classification cases: Case 1:(brook trout; no brook trout), Case 2 (brook trout; non-native trout only; no trout), and Case 3 (brook trout only; brook and non-native trout; non-native trout only and no trout). Model results were sensitive to both scale and the number of classification categories with respect to classification accuracy, variable selection and variable threshold values. Classification accuracy tended to be lowest at the finest (catchment) scale potentially reflecting stochastic population processes and barriers to movement. Classification rates for the overall models were: Case 1: Watershed (80.19%); Subwatershed (85.06%); Catchment (71.13%); Case 2: Watershed (69.31%); Subwatershed (68.72%); Catchment (57.38%); Case 3: Watershed (58.91%); Subwatershed (59.83%); Catchment (47.59%). Our multiscale approach revealed soil permeability (positive) and atmospheric pollution (negative) to be important predictors. The predicted occupancy and observed status of brook trout appear to be influenced by the scale the data are collected and reported.
Located in
Science and Data
/
Brook Trout Related Publications
-
The influence of land cover composition and groundwater on thermal habitat availability for brook trout populations
-
Brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) is a sentinel fish species that requires clean, cold water habitats generally resulting from landscapes that allow for surface water flows devoid of sediment and contaminants and high groundwater discharge of cold water. As such, brook charr are impacted by land cover changes that alter stream temperature regimes. We evaluated brook charr populations across their eastern and midwestern range in the United States with reference to thermal habitat availability in relationship to land cover and percent baseflow. We found that while forest cover does protect brook charr thermal habitat, high levels of groundwater discharge can allow for increased levels of agriculture within a watershed by keeping the water cold in spite of warm ambient summer temperatures. Our study concludes that with enhanced communication among land, water and fisheries managers, society can provide for sustainable stream salmonid populations despite increased threats on cold water resources.
Located in
Science and Data
/
Brook Trout Related Publications
-
The temperature–productivity squeeze: constraints on brook trout growth along an Appalachian river continuum
-
We tested the hypothesis that brook trout growth rates are controlled by a complex interaction of food availability, water temperature, and competitor
density. We quantified trout diet, growth, and consumption in small headwater tributaries characterized as cold with low food and high trout density, larger tributaries characterized as cold with moderate food and moderate trout density, and large main stems characterized as warm with high food and low trout density. Brook trout consumption was highest in the main stem where diets shifted from insects in headwaters to fishes and crayfish in larger streams. Despite highwater temperatures, trout growth rates also were consistently highest in the main stem, likely due to competitively dominant trout monopolizing thermal refugia. Temporal changes in trout density had a direct negative effect on brook trout
growth rates. Our results suggest that competition for food constrains brook trout growth in small streams, but access to thermal refugia in productive main stem habitats enables dominant trout to supplement growth at a watershed scale. Brook trout conservation in this region should seek to relieve the ‘‘temperature–productivity squeeze,’’ whereby brook trout productivity is constrained by access to habitats that provide both
suitable water temperature and sufficient prey.
Located in
Science and Data
/
Brook Trout Related Publications
-
The use of environmental (eDNA) to inform fish eradication efforts to restore native aquatic species.
-
30 minute webinar
Located in
The Story of Wild Brook Trout
/
Brook Trout Video and Webinar Gallery