2009 Summary Report: Preservation of Native Bull Trout in Glacier National Park: Experimental Suppression of Non-Native Lake Trout in Quartz Lake
Muhlfeld CC and Fredenberg C. 2009. 2009 Summary Report: Preservation of Native Bull Trout in Glacier National Park: Experimental Suppression of Non-Native Lake Trout in Quartz Lake. United States Geological Survey. USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Glacier Field Station, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Montana.
2009 progress report of a four-year research project (2009-2012), including results of the 2009 sampling period. After 14,000 years of dominance, Glacier’s greatest native aquatic predator is at high risk of extirpation in several lakes along the western slopes of the Continental Divide. The decline of threatened bull trout Salvelinus confluentus in Glacier National Park (GNP) is directly attributed to the invasion and establishment of nonnative lake trout Salvelinus namaycush from Flathead Lake, which consistently displace bull trout in systems where they have been introduced. This research project was developed to aid in the development of an action plan by experimentally assessing the feasibility of reducing the nonnative lake trout population in Quartz Lake. The goals of this four-year research (2009-2012) project are to assess the demographics of the lake trout population, and use this information to inform and implement experimental removal and control alternatives to reduce or eliminate competitive interactions in the Quartz Lake system and other lakes in GNP. This progress report includes preliminary results of the 2009 fall sampling period.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Muhlfeld, Clint; Fredenberg, Carter
- Date of Issue
- 2009-08-09
- Publisher
- United States Geological Survey
- Units
- GLAC
- Keywords
- Bull Trout, gill netting, Invasive Species, Lake Trout, Native Fisheries, Quartz Lake, Salvelinus confluentus, Salvelinus namaycush, Suppression, Telemetry