Washington seeks comment on northern spotted owl review

From staff reports

Washington officials are recommending keeping the northern spotted owl on the state’s endangered species list.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife released a draft periodic status review for the birds this week. The agency is accepting public comment on the document until Oct. 29.

The review found that the species’ decline hasn’t let up in Washington, and that the birds have declined by up to 90% in some areas. Tyler Cotten, WDFW conservation assessment section manager, said in a news release that since the original listing in 1988, “the likelihood of northern spotted owls becoming extinct in Washington has only increased.”

“Despite management and conservation actions that have reduced the rate of northern spotted owl habitat loss, the Washington sub-population of spotted owls is still facing challenges that threaten population recovery, including competition by non-native barred owls,” Cotten said.

The northern spotted owl is one of three spotted owl subspecies, and is the only one found in the Pacific Northwest, according to WDFW’s website. It averages about 17 inches in length and has white spotting across a brown body.

Its range stretches from southwestern British Columbia south through the Cascade Range to northern California.

But in Washington, the birds are rare and populations are declining, according to WDFW. The agency’s news release said there are about 1,200 documented owl territories in Washington, but that data suggests just 25% of them are occupied.

Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission listed the owl as an endangered species in Washington in 1988. Federal protections under the Endangered Species Act followed in 1990.

The draft periodic status review of the northern spotted owl is available online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01752.

Yellowstone National Park finds brook trout in Soda Butte Creek

Yellowstone National Park officials are planning to poison a popular creek in the park’s northeastern corner this month after finding non-native brook trout in the stream.

Between Aug. 14 and 18, the park will close 9.6 miles of Soda Butte Creek to the public while biologists use an EPA-approved piscicide called rotenone to kill all brook trout in the stream, according to a park news release. The closure will extend from the park boundary at the Northeast Entrance downstream to Ice Box Canyon.

The goal is to ensure the stream is clear of brook trout, which compete with native Yellowstone cutthroat trout for food and space. In the release, park officials said the invading fish could displace cutthroat trout and eventually get into the entire Lamar River watershed, which hosts the largest remaining population of river-dwelling Yellowstone cutthroat.

Biologists will use electrofishing to move cutthroat trout out of the stream the week before it is treated with rotenone. The fish will be moved into nearby tributaries and returned to Soda Butte Creek after the treatment is finished.

It’s not the first time Yellowstone has used rotenone to kill brook trout on Soda Butte Creek. An earlier project to remove the nonnative species concluded in 2016 after biologists declared the invading fish had been entirely removed.

Montana launches studies to find cause of trout declines

Montana fisheries officials are working with researchers to figure out what’s going wrong with trout on three rivers in the southwestern part of the state.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced late last month that it would work with the Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at Montana State University to launch three studies looking at trout abundance in the Ruby, Big Hole and Beaverhead rivers – three streams adored by anglers. FWP will conduct a fourth study looking at fish health and boosting capacity to sample fish for diseases.

The announcement comes after fishing outfitters and trout advocates have been raising concerns about the health of fish in the Jefferson River basin, which the three streams comprise. A coalition of fishing businesses formed a group called Save Wild Trout this summer to push Montana to address population declines on the three streams and find the reason behind them.

FWP acknowledged in a news release that trout numbers in the Ruby, Big Hole and Beaverhead have been declining since 2011. Agency staff wrote that the declines “can be linked to low-flows and warm water temperatures,” but that the research projects the agency is launching will examine other factors.

One study will look at adult mortality. Biologists will tag and track fish in the three rivers and in the Madison River.

They’ll use the tagged fish to look at how streamflow, water temperatures, fishing and disease affect fish survival, according to the release.

Another study will focus on juvenile fish, examining where they are born and their spawning and rearing habitat. Biologists will sample a fish’s ear bone to figure out where it has lived.

A third study will involve testing for pathogens and developing better ways to check fish for disease in the future.

FWP also said in the release that it would be beefing up its fish health monitoring and reporting resources.