Boise River Bull Trout

By Lance Hebdon, Fisheries Biologist and Marshall Haynes, Senior Conservation Officer Bull trout. Maybe you grew up calling them Dolly Varden. Whatever you call them, in the 1990s, it looked as though the populations of this wonderful Idaho native fish were in serious trouble. Responding to this threat, Idaho Fish and Game implemented a no harvest regulation on bull trout in 1994 (except for Lake Pend Orielle). In 1996, the State of Idaho developed the Bull Trout Conservation Plan, an effort to stabilize existing bull trout populations. Despite these efforts, bull trout were listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1998 along with other bull trout in the Columbia River Basin. Listing of bull trout under the ESA prompted a concerted effort from fisheries biologists around the state to take a closer look at bull trout populations throughout Idaho to determine their status. Bull trout exhibit two very different life history forms. The resident form spends most of its life in a relatively small stream usually in headwater areas. The migratory form may use larger rivers, lakes, or reservoirs as its core habitats, migrating out primarily to spawn. Resident bull trout are much smaller than their migratory brethren with resident bull trout reaching lengths of six to 12 inches, while migratory fish are commonly 16 to 30 inches in length (the state record bull trout was a 32-pounder from Lake Pend Orielle caught in 1949). Bull trout populations in the Middle and North Forks of the Boise River use Arrowrock Reservoir for foraging habitat during the winter, then travel to headwaters of this drainage to spawn. In typical bull trout style, these fish began leaving Arrowrock Reservoir in May with movements more like a marathon than a sprint. The average bull trout tagged in Arrowrock Reservoir swam more than 50 miles before spawning in tributary streams in the forest above the reservoir in August and September. Migration is a good survival strategy for bull trout when they have access to large connected river systems or lakes and reservoirs, as it allows the fish to use the best of both worlds. Cold, clear streams in headwater areas provide excellent bull trout spawning conditions. But these same headwater streams that are good for spawning don't provide enough food to grow big bull trout (if you are a fish, the larger you are, the more eggs you can produce). So back to the reservoir they go where the feeding is good but spawning conditions are unsuitable. The downside of migration is that once these fish enter the river systems they become more vulnerable to predators both animal and human. Reducing human-caused mortality in migratory bull trout has become an important conservation goal. The effectiveness of a catch and release regulation (or any regulation that requires anglers to release a specific species) necessitates that anglers be able to positively identify individual fish species and that they comply with the regulation. To accomplish this goal, extensive angler education efforts were conducted to teach anglers how to identify bull trout. Conservation Officers began handing out bull trout identification cards during contacts and reminding anglers of the catch and release regulations. Bull trout "Wanted" posters were put up in local tackle shops and license vendors and the large metal "Anglers-You're in Bull Trout Country" signs were dispersed throughout areas where anglers were likely to encounter bull trout. The results of the education efforts resulted in an increase in the number of anglers who could identify bull trout and reduced illegal and accidental harvest of bull trout. Conservation officers in the Boise district have developed an enforcement action plan that concentrates officer's time in the areas and at the time of year when the Boise River bull trout are most vulnerable to being poached. Numerous signs are posted advising anglers to identify and release bull trout. Conservation officers also discuss bull trout identification and catch and release regulations with every angler. During the last two years, conservation officers have made more than 1,500 angler contacts and documented at least 119 fishing violations in the Boise River drainage where bull trout occur. The most common violations are fishing without a license, fishing with bait where prohibited, fishing with barbed hooks where prohibited and keeping undersized rainbow trout. Several bull trout cases have been made and conservation officers continue to partner with fisheries biologists and the Bureau of Reclamation in order to protect the Boise River's bulls. Bull Trout vs. Dolly Varden Confused about the bull trout/dolly varden name game? Prior to 1980, bull trout and dolly varden were considered the same species. It was not until 1978 that comparisons between coastal populations and inland populations revealed differences between the fish that justified creating two distinct species. Typically, dolly varden are found in coastal areas and bull trout are found in inland waters, with the exception of the Puget Sound area where both fish are present. Bull trout are generally larger on average with slightly larger heads. Anglers, Keeping a Bull Trout Could Cost You! Bull Trout are a threatened and protected species in Idaho and killing one can cost you, as one Boise man found out. Jordan Pugh of Boise must pay over $1,400 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to unlawfully taking one protected bull trout from Arrowrock Reservoir and failing to produce the fish upon request of a conservation officer. Bull Trout have been closed to harvest since 1994 and listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1998. The salmon colored spots on its sides and no spots on the top or dorsal fin are key to identifying this native fish. Anglers should not harm the fish and release bull trout back in to the water if they happen to hook one. Pugh caught and kept the bull trout on December 11, 2004 in Arrowrock Reservoir. A concerned citizen reported the violation to the Citizen's Against Poaching hotline. When a conservation officer contacted Pugh, he failed to produce the fish and lied about having it. Boise County Magistrate Roger Cockerille sentenced Pugh to pay $1,472.00 in fines and costs, suspending another $1,000. Pugh has 180 days of jail on each of the two charges, all but three days being suspended, which he must serve as 60 hours of community service. In addition, Pugh's fishing license was suspended for one year. People who witness or have information about fish or wildlife violations can call Citizen's Against Poaching at 1-800-632-5999. Callers can remain anonymous and rewards are available.