Mid-Columbia Fisheries assists with coordination of the Yakima Bull Trout Working Group, sponsors the Bull Trout Task Force project, and assists and implements on-the-ground recovery actions that directly benefit bull trout. This has included habitat restoration, population monitoring, and eDNA surveys.
The Yakima Bull Trout Working Group (BTWG) is an informal working group that brings together partners working on bull trout conservation approximately once every two months. It has become the go-to-place to share updates and coordinate bull trout activities. The BTWG is coordinated by the Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
USFWS first released a draft Bull Trout Recovery Plan in 2002. Finalization of the plan was deferred while a 5 Year Status Review was completed in 2008. A new draft was released in September 2014, and the final USFWS Recovery Plan was released in Sept 2015.
In 2012, local bull trout biologists in the Yakima Basin completed the Yakima Bull Trout Action Plan, and in 2016, the Yakima Bull Trout Working Group began an intensive update. This document is a locally developed summary of information about Yakima Basin bull trout populations. It includes information about population status, habitat, and a detailed analysis of threats by life stage and corresponding monitoring and restoration actions. It is being used to track our progress towards implementing priority actions needed to recovery bull trout in the Yakima Basin.
Rock Dams
Rock dams are not only illegal but they impact fish movements during the most critical times of the year. The BTTF removes these structures and educates the public on their impacts. Please refrain from moving, stacking, and altering the river you are recreating in!
Outreach
The BTTF provides vital outreach and education opportunities across the Yakima Basin. From campground presentations, boat launch education, fisherman engagement, school program education, and simply being out in the places that bull trout are present.
Rescue
In some of the streams Bull Trout occupy the summer leads to dewatering and increased mortality, stranding, and the need to rescue the endagered species to help increase population persistence. The BTTF is always involved in helping partners perform these rescue efforts, monitor areas where they are needed, and mobilize volunteers/interns to help increase rescue effort efficiency.
