For the week of January 23 - 29, 2002

Inventory pact reached on bull trout habitat

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going to take a closer look at bull trout habitat as the result of a recently settled lawsuit.

An angler briefly admires a large bull trout before releasing it back to the wild. Photo by Mike Retallick

The federal agency last week reached the settlement with two environmental groups over a lawsuit seeking critical habitat designation for the threatened species.

"The timeline had lapsed on the designation of critical habitat," said Arlene Montgomery, program director for the Montana-based environmental group Friends of the Wild Swan. "We feel it’s an important component of recovering a listed species."

Under the agreement, Fish and Wildlife has until 2003 to designate critical habitat in Idaho and the Columbia and Klamath River basins. The agency has until 2004 to designate critical habitat in coastal areas of Washington, in Nevada and in north-central Montana.

Native to the Pacific Northwest, including Montana, Idaho, Northern California and Nevada, bull trout have some of the most demanding habitat requirements of any native trout species, because they require water that is especially cold and clean, states Idaho Department of Fish and Game Conservation Officer Mike Demick.

"Abundant a century ago, dams, siltation from logging and farming, and fishing pressure have greatly reduced its numbers and range," Demick wrote in an department-released article.

The species was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1993 when Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Wild Swan, and Swan View Coalition petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species. The alliance and Friends of the Wild Swan followed up with the settled lawsuit to designate critical habitat.

As a result of the settlement, Fish and Wildlife will begin a comprehensive, range-wide analysis and designation of critical habitat for the imperiled species of trout.

The agreement is precedent-setting because it resulted from a unique process of one-on-one discussions between the groups and the government, Montgomery said. The parties agreed that the Endangered Species Act required critical habitat designation for bull trout.

"We are pleased to be out of the courtroom and able to begin work on the ground to protect and restore bull trout habitat," Montgomery said.

Once the understanding was reached, the groups were able to hammer out a mutually acceptable time frame that allows for scientific evidence to be gathered through a process that involves the public and other agencies.

The agreement calls for a 120-day public comment period prior to the publication of a draft rule in the Federal Register outlining the areas the agency proposes for critical habitat important for bull trout recovery and long-term existence.

Under the agreement, Fish and Wildlife will consider input from scientists, economists, state and federal agencies and the general public in crafting a critical habitat proposal.

"The spirit of cooperation between our groups and the federal government enabled this agreement to happen," said David Merrill, executive director for the Alliance for the Wild Rockies. "This is an historic opportunity to provide the agency with the most current scientific and economic information available that will assist them in doing the best job possible."

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‘Know your bull’

One of the threats facing Idaho’s bull trout is angler naiveté, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

In 1998, Fish and Game biologists gave anglers a friendly trout test as they fished along the Middle Fork of the Boise River.

"Last year for bull tout, on average, 35 percent of the people could identify it from our board," Research Biologist Tony Lamansky said. "Sixty-five percent of the people couldn’t identify it."

Because bull trout are listed, there’s a $200 fine for anglers caught with one in possession.

In response, Fish and Game has launched a media campaign called "Know Your Bull!" It includes posters and stickers to help anglers identify bull trout, which doesn’t have any spots on any of its fins. It does have pale, salmon-colored spots on its flanks.

"A rainbow has a red stripe down the side. The cutthroat has a red slash under the chin. The brook trout has worm-like markings on the fins and three colors on the bottom fins: white, red and black. And the brown trout has large black spots with red spots down the sides with pale halos," Lamansky said.

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