Brook Trout out West

While I (we) celebrate the presence of brook trout in the eastern US, they are invasive species in the western US. Similar to the imapact that brown trout have on native brookies in the east, brookies in the west displace native cutthroat trout.

This was clearly evident on a recent trip to Montana. While hiking up and fishing a tributary of the Gallatin River, brook trout dominated pool after pool. Where native cuts should have been, non-native brookies were found and eagerly took fly after fly.

Are they less valuable because they are non-native? They serve a very similar ecological role, they are beautiful fish, but they are not native fish. There is great value in native, original, appropriate species.

Global Warming and Brookies

One of the constant threats to brookies brought up by fisheries officials and TU members on this trip was global warming. There was not necessarily a consensus about how much warming has or will take place, but most agreed that temperature increases have taken place and rainfall is less consistent, more flashy.

Now that I am back in the Deep South, the heat has inspired a post about global warming.

Fish found in spring-fed headwater streams fair well in normal drought situations. They are fed by cold, underground sources. But for headwater streams to remain perennial versus ephemeral, rain and snow has to recharge these watersheds. And today in the Deep South, the recent drought has alarmed many because rainfall has significantly decreased. States such as Georgia, North Carolina and eastern Tennessee have all been in drought conditions over the past several years. All one has to do is visit a reservoir in northern Georgia and take a look at lake levels to understand how bad the drought has been.

Brook trout are resilient, but as stream flows decrease, fish will be lost even in cold headwater streams because fish obviously need a minimum flow to survive tough years. Smaller pieces of water can heat up more quickly during hot summer days. It it not yet known how significant this drought will be regarding brook trout range in the South, but if this current pattern of heat and lack of rainfall isn't broken, the prognosis isn't good for some streams at the southern edge of the brookies range.

What does Tiger have against trout?

Tiger Woods has helped design and given his name to a development called The Cliffs at High Carolina in Asheville. Sounds nice doesn't it? It is luxury development high in the Appalachian Mountains with stunning views that just happens to have two native brook trout streams. But, given the steep nature of mountains, the mountains are being completely altered/leveled to make room for the golf courses and huge homes. Driving by it today, it resembled a strip mine. It was once a lush mountain with native trout. Given the barren hills I saw today, it's unlikely the property still contains streams with trout.

Does golf really belong in mountains? What does Tiger have against trout?

Now I doubt Tiger Woods knows his development has trout, and probably doesn't have anything against the brookie. But these are the types of projects that have reduced the range of the brookie in desirable areas such as western North Carolina. Aren't there enough golf courses already?

According to fisheries biologist Doug Besler, these types of developments are all but impossible to stop. But, in order to change behavior, he has proposed that the state create a green certification program for builders who plan developments that take trout (and other plants and animals) into consideration. While this program won't save Tiger's trout, it may save streams in the future because development isn't going away around Asheville.

Acid Rain in North Carolina

I am in North Carolina, a state that still contains extensive brook trout. But, like Virginia to the north, the recent heat and drought has constricted brookies at lower elevations. On the other end of the mountains, acid rain remains a problem in North Carolina (see picture). See the dead trees that stand out in this high elevation forest. So brookies are getting squeezed at low and high elevations.

Hot Water

I am now in Virginia visiting with state officials and private individuals about brook trout in the Shenandoah National Park. It has been hot, which means the streams are also getting warmer. As the water warms, fish move into spring holes, deep pools, or higher in elevation. As a result, I too have had to chase them higher up (see pick).

Brookies are doing pretty well in Virginia overall. But, given Virginia's Southern location, recent dry spells coupled with rising temperatures threaten to constrict the brook trout into higher and higher streams. It is unlikely brookies will ever disappear from the Old Dominion, but it is one state where it is likely range will shrink in the future if current temperature and precipitation trends continue.

More on Virginia later, I am beat! The fish are beautiful here!

NJ Fish!

Well I was a bit skeptical at first about New Jersey's trout, but having spent two days there examining streams and fishing, I am happy to report that the "garden state" does indeed have trout.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the US, so its rivers, streams, and brooks are heavily impacted by past and present industry, general development/sprawl, and any number of other human impacts. As the population of New York City continues to expand westward, so too does the impact on waterways.

So while New Jersey has trout, there are certain areas that as development continues, the fish will likely disappear (coupled with global warming). But, thanks to dedicated trout fans such as state Trout Unlimited personnel such as Brian Cowden (my host), wild trout at least have a chance.

I did indeed catch two brook trout in northwestern Jersey. So I can check NJ off my list!

Connecticut Brookies

Connecticut is, in a nut shell, the battle ground for brook trout. On a recent visit, I spent time on streams that had been largely ruined by human activities through pollution and urbanization (which increases water temperature). As the land area around streams is cleared and paved, water running into streams dramatically increases both in flashiness and in temperature.

On the other hand, I also visited a stream that was protected, shaded, and full of brook trout.

In the end, it's pretty simple, brookies do best in rural, shaded streams, far from us.