Bull Trout

Fishery management of Upper Priest Lake has focused on conserving native fish for much of its management history. Annual removal of lake trout has been a component of that management approach for 20 years. Bull trout have responded well with increasing numbers. Other fish, like westslope cutthroat trout are also showing signs of improvement.

Post Falls angler, Sawyer Livesey, caught a catch-and-release record bull trout on the Kootenai River on April 8.

With education events cancelled, Senior Conservation Officer and bull trout educator Dustin Masin put together a coloring contest for students in grades 1 through 3.

Snorkeling, electrofishing, and PIT-tags are just a few of the tools biologists use to study Idaho's salmon, trout and steelhead. In part 3 of our series - Restoring Fish, Restoring Rivers - we look at how biologists study how fish populations before and after building habitat restoration projects. Understanding how fish populations respond helps us design better restoration strategies so these projects can have the biggest benefit.