ARE THE BROOKIES MOVING IN TO THE WEST.?

[Drunk Bob]

I saw something in the Zoo about brook trout driving out native species. Is this true?

[Ray Zee]

there are a lot of small streams where the cutthroat is hurting from competion from other non native species like brookies or rainbows. they are cleaning them out and putting the cutts back in in hopes of getting the populations higher. some places they are going overboard with this.
one problem is that they tell you roetenone is safe. it is not.

[Zeno]

Rotenone link Rotenone

What are the alternatives if you want to restore or help native species? You could of course just let things be as is.

I have my doubts about some of this also. You can't bring everything back to "what it use to be". One problem is just defining what you mean by "what it use to be" (many give some set date) as nature is always in the process of changing and evolving as part of its natural function anyway.

Some talk of doing this to a few streams in the area that I pollute by my vile presence. I don’t know yet if it is a good or bad idea. Just talk so far I think.

-Zeno

[Benman]

I think honest internet sites will finish off most old fashioned bookmakers, east or west.

[CORed]

This is not new. Brookies (as well as rainbow and brown trout) were introduced to many areas in the West in the 19th century. They are not the only introduced species that competes with native species (often a subspecies of cutthroat trout). Rainbow trout have also greatly reduced populations or genetic purity of cutthroat trout due to hybridization. Most main stem rivers in the interior west are now rainbow/brown trout fisheries. Rainbows and browns, however, make a very good fishery if managed properly, and tolerate warm water temperatures or high silt loads a little better than cutthroats. Brookies tend to overpopulate, resulting in a stream or lake full of stunted fish.