Reach-scale associations between introduced Brook Trout and juvenile and stream-resident Bull Trout in Idaho

Objective

Native Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus populations can be influenced by a variety of stressors operating at multiple spatial scales, making the relative importance of biotic versus abiotic controls difficult to discern at small scales where monitoring and management typically occur. Nonnative Brook Trout S. fontinalis were widely introduced throughout western North America and negatively affect Bull Trout occurrence. Here, we examine reach-scale associations between nonnative Brook Trout and juvenile and stream-resident Bull Trout (i.e., <250 mm) abundances through the lens of a constraining threshold, where nonnative fish exceeding a certain fish density may constrain native fish abundance.

Methods

We used a large spatial data set to define the abiotic conditions in which stream-dwelling Brook Trout and Bull Trout smaller than 250 mm typically co-occur in Idaho. Next, we queried multipass electrofishing survey data collected in reaches with abiotic conditions suitable for both species within localized areas where their distributions overlap. We then used two-dimensional Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests to identify threshold Brook Trout densities beyond which Bull Trout less than 250 mm were consistently rare or absent.

Result

Bull Trout smaller than 250 mm were rare or absent where Brook Trout density exceeded 0.54 fish/100 m² across the full range of abiotic conditions over which both species overlapped. However, Brook Trout rarely occurred in habitats associated with high Bull Trout density (e.g., where mean August water temperatures were 8.2°C).

Conclusion

Our results support existing hypotheses that the long-term co-occurrence of Bull Trout and Brook Trout in stream reaches suitable for both species may be unstable. Because low densities of Brook Trout appear to threaten Bull Trout, additional research is needed to better understand factors driving ongoing range shifts and invasion dynamics in Bull Trout habitat. We provide a simple tool to inform where Brook Trout represent a primary threat to Bull Trout, with potential applications for future monitoring, threat assessments, and conservation efforts.