Bull trout "threatened"

One of the largest trophy fish in the Sisters watershed became a "threatened" species Friday, June 5.

After nearly six years of litigation, the bull trout received federal listing under the Endangered Species Act in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

In part due to the damming of its migratory waterways, the bull trout has met tremendous decline in the northwest. In Oregon, it is illegal to fish for the species except in the Metolius River and Lake Billy Chinook.

Other more emotional factors may have also led to the protection of this predatory member of the salmon family.

According to Sisters Ranger District Fishery Biologist Mike Riehle, "The bull trout is

a notorious predator of

salmon, known to eat fish half their size."

With current movements underway to protect salmon, Riehle explained that this aggressive reputation may have ironically put the bull trout in peril.

"When you demonize a species, just like (we did with) the wolf, you are effective at eliminating (them)," Riehle said. "The decline of the bull trout occurred due to this historic attitude. We need to have a (more) ecological approach in how we look at predators."

A member of the Salmonidae, or salmon family, the bull trout shares the nickname char'" with the lake and brook trout and Dolly Varden.

Until the 1960s, bull trout inhabited Suttle Lake.

Central Oregon populations are now limited to the tributaries of the Metolius; lower Squaw Creek; Lake Billy Chinook; and the lower Deschutes and Crooked Rivers.

Riehle reports some unconfirmed bull trout sightings in areas around Sisters but says brook trout can be easily confused with younger bulls.

Oregon bull trout angling is restricted to catch and release on the Metolius River and one fish per day over 24 inches in Lake Billy Chinook.

Taking bulls from the "sanctuary" at Billy Chinook is prohibited.

Riehle explained the impact of hooking a fish on a line.

"The stress of the catch has an associated mortality of 4 to 6 percent and sometimes up to 10 percent (due to) hooking injuries and exhaustion," he said.

Anglers who accidentally catch a bull trout should be careful to minimize this stress with careful handling of the fish.

Outside Lake Billy Chinook, all bull trout caught by accident or intent must be released.

Under Riehle's guidance, the Sisters Ranger District submitted a report to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service of all ongoing activities potentially affecting bull trout.

Some of these activities include proposed timber sales; grazing; restoration projects; maintenance activities; and special use permits.

Due to the recent listing of the species, a meeting will be held this month to discuss possible effects and modifications of the district's activities. Riehle defends the district's current actions as proactive.

"We are already giving attention to bull trout habitat restoration and working conservation (of the species) into proposed management actions," Riehle said.

The bull trout was proposed for federal listing on June 13, 1997.

After the necessary one-year fact-finding period, the final rule is due out the same day this year.

However, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt was in Montana Friday, June 5, to make the announcement.