SESSION C:

Title: Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Habitat as an Indicator of Stream Health

Author: Forrest Bonney
Regional Fisheries Biologist, Rangeley Region, Maine Dept. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 689 Farmington Road, Strong, ME. (207) 778-3322

Abstract:

Brook trout habitat quality is an indicator of watershed health because this species is dependent on a constant supply of clean cold water and has specific habitat requirements. Biological surveys of western Maine streams conducted within the last decade revealed extensive morphological degradation of second and third order streams as indicated by high width-to-depth ratios, lack of pools, entrenchment, and unstable banks. Degradation reduces the carrying capacity of adult brook trout, which are dependant on pools to avoid predators and as refuges during periods of low flows and thermal stress. Stream degradation within forested areas is attributed to timber harvesting activities, dating to log drives that began in the late nineteenth century. Work is currently underway to restore stream reaches by restoring width-to-depth ratios and pools. However, additional work remains to be done to determine the effect of current land use practices on annual discharge regimes and stream stability, as well as on the efficacy of stream restoration efforts.