Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fisheries Biologist Ladd Knotek walking up the West Fork of the Clearwater during the annual bull trout redd count. The survey was completed in late September.
SEELEY LAKE - Every fall Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) fish biologists complete bull trout redd counts, tracking the abundance of the trout spawning nests. A redd is an area on the stream bottom that trout prepare as their spawning nest.
The redd counts is an index for spawning activity and adult abundance. FWP Fisheries Biologist Ladd Knotek said that monitoring bull trout as the keystone species is a good indicator because they are the most sensitive species to disturbance and they cover a large geographic area because they are migratory.
FWP extensively surveyed for bull trout and...
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