Brook Trout - Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Interactions

Yellowstone cutthroat trout from Thoroughbred Creek.

Yellowstone cutthroat trout rarely occur in sympatry with brook trout in the Goose Creek watershed, and when they do, age-0 cutthroat trout are commonly in poor condition (low weight per unit length). This suggests that age-0 brook trout outcompete age-0 cutthroat trout, as has been shown elsewhere across the West where introduced brook trout have widely displaced native cutthroat trout populations.

Abundance of Yellowstone cutthroat trout versus brook trout in Goose Creek watershed (Click to enlarge).

Condition (weight per unit length) of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the presence of brook trout (Click to enlarge).

For more information, see Chapter 4 of the Goose Creek Basin Aquatic Assessment:

Dauwalter, D.C., and K.A. Fesenmyer. 2017. The Importance of Habitat Complexity to Stream Fishes: A Multi-Scale Assessment in Goose Creek, Upper Snake River Basin. Trout Unlimited, Arlington, Virginia.

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