Bright Angel Creek Trout Reduction Project

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The National Park Service is conducting a multi-year project to reduce the number of non-native brown and rainbow trout in Bright Angel Creek in order to benefit native fish populations in Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon's native fish are uniquely adapted to the characteristics of the Colorado River and its tributaries and have suffered serious declines due to human-caused changes to their habitat. Bright Angel Creek once supported large numbers of native fish, including the endangered humpback chub. Today, Bright Angel Creek is the main spawning site in Grand Canyon for non-native brown trout, which are voracious predators of native fish.

Biologists are using two methods for capturing and removing non-native trout in the lower reach of Bright Angel Creek during the winter months: a weir, or fish trap, and electro-fishing. The weir captures large trout that live in the Colorado River as they enter Bright Angel Creek to spawn. Electro-fishing allows fisheries biologists to monitor and assess the fish population of the creek and also remove non-native trout that live in the stream.

This project is funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service, with staff contributions by the University of Missouri and volunteers provided by the Grand Canyon Trust. [1]

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Updates



Links

Projects

Weir:

  • Picket weir: 2002-03, 2006-07, 2010-12
  • Resistance board weir: 2012-2017

Bright Angel Creek electrofishing:

  • Weir to Phantom Creek: 2006, 2010-2012
  • Weir to Roaring/Angel Spring cnfl: 2012-2017

Mainstem electrofishing at the mouth of Bright Angel Creek:

  • Pilot study: 2013-2014
  • Removal: 2015

Presentations and Papers

2021

2020

2017

2016

2015

2013

2010

Other Stuff

Humpback chub conservation measures included in Biological Opinions on the operations of Glen Canyon Dam (USFWS 2008, 2011):

  • “Bright Angel Creek Brown Trout Control – Reclamation will continue to fund efforts of the NPS to remove brown trout from Bright Angel Creek and will work with GCMRC and NPS to expand this effort to be more effective at controlling brown trout in Grand Canyon. This issue has been prioritized based on emerging information on the particular risk that brown trout pose to native fish.”