The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects - PacifiCorp

Interpretive Exhibit: Bull Trout
Locations:
Size:
Title:
Main
Content:
Boat launch ramps at Speelyai Bay, Cresap Bay, Saddle Dam, Yale Park,
Cougar Park, Beaver Bay, Swift Forest Camp
TBD
Help Give Bull Trout a Fighting Chance
Bull trout (Salvelinus conflentus) are salmon-like fish of the Pacific
Northwest and western Canada. Unfortunately, these native fish are
struggling to survive due to habitat changes associated with human
development. Bull trout are a federally protected species, and fishing for
them is illegal.
There are bull trout in Merwin, Yale, and Swift reservoirs. You can help
these threatened fish in the Lewis River. Don’t target bull trout while
fishing in the lakes or streams. Familiarize yourself with how to recognize
them. If you do catch a bull trout, release it immediately so it can
continue to grow and reproduce.
Sidebar:
Bull trout are of the genus Salvelinus (char) and are members of the
salmon family. They have very specific spawning requirements—they
need streams with cold (below 10 degrees C), deep, fast moving water,
and with clean gravel. For successful incubation, the eggs need
temperatures of less than 7 degree Celsius or 44.6 degree Fahrenheit. This
kind of consistently cold water (usually spring-fed) is relatively rare.
Young bull trout spend their first one to two years in their home streams,
eating aquatic insects and small fish, before heading out to the lakes.
There, their primary prey are juvenile kokanee and largescale suckers.
Bull trout may live 12-15 years and may spawn several times during their
lives.
Caption:
Caption:
Bull trout are similar in appearance to other species in the reservoirs,
making identification (without a good reference) difficult. The presence of
light-colored spots on bull trout helps distinguish them from cutthroat
and rainbow trout (which have dark spots). Bull trout can be
distinguished from brook trout (another light-spotted salmonid) by the
lack of black markings on their dorsal fins.
Photo of bull trout spawning habitat
Only a handful of creeks along the offer appropriate spawning habitat for
bull trout.
Photo of fisheries workers with bull trout
PacifiCorp works to conserve bull trout by protecting critical spawning
habitat and by providing public education to anglers who may catch bull
trout.
Appendix 1: panel profiles Lewis River Draft I&E Plan page 7