Over 7 km of suitable Bull Trout habitat in Sun Pass State Forest occupied by Brook Trout and Brown Trout
Partnerships:
Restoration project is a collaborative effort among National Park Service, Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Dept of Forestry, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and private landowners.
Objectives:
Restore native fish community to lower Sun Creek and allow passage of native migratory fish between Sun Creek and the Wood River.
Methods:
Install new exclusion barriers equipped with passage facility as far downstream as possible on Sun Pass State Forest.
Characterize nonnative fish community composition, density and biomass prior to removal efforts.
Treat with antimycin-A to eradicate nonnative fish between lower NPS barrier and new Oregon Dept of Forestry barrier (7.3 km or 4.5 hours flow time).
Reconnect lower Sun Creek channel with Wood River and screen irrigation diversions to promote recovery of migratory Bull Trout and/or colonization by Redband Trout.
Results - Pre-Treatment Fish Community and Comparison of Abundance Estimates
Brook Trout ranged 29 mm - 288 mm in 2008; 26 mm to 237 mm in 2012
Evidence of at least five or six size/age classes of Brook Trout
Brook Trout density in electrofishing segments ranged 0.2 fish/m to 1.8 fish/m channel length
Total Brook Trout biomass in Lower Sun Creek reach approximately 158 kg (4-5 g/m2), comparable to values for other western streams
Volunteer labor for pre-treatment electrofishing: NPS, Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Geological Service, Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon University, Trout Unlimited
Removal electrofishing estimates:
2008: N = 5850 Brook Trout (95% C.I. 5069 to 6631), mean density = 0.80 fish/m
2012: N = 4332 Brook Trout (95% C.I. 3385 to 5277), mean density = 0.59 fish/m
Mark-Recapture Estimate
Marked and released 1002 Brook Trout >65mm FL with caudal clip
Recovered 220 marked and 1382 unmarked carcasses >65 mm
in chemical treatment
N = 7296 (95% C.I. 6571 to 8162)
Total Brook Trout biomass approximately 158 kg (4-5 g/m2)
Confirmed Bull Trout in Lower Sun Creek
Live Bull Trout collected as far downstream as distributary channels (n = 8)
Bull Trout mortalities collected during chemical treatment as far downstream as Oregon Dept of Forestry/RR Ranch boundary (n = 22)
Additional PIT tagged Bull Trout known to have passed into or through reach (n = 6)
Funding and Partners
National Park Service
Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife - Klamath Lake District
Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife Restoration and Enhancement Board
Oregon Department of Forestry
US Fish and Wildlife Service
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Signage warning of Bull Trout restrictions for fishing.
NPS
Last updated: March 17, 2016
Park footer
Contact Info
Mailing Address:
Crater Lake National Park
PO Box 7
Crater Lake,
OR
97604
