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Redd Characteristics of Fluvial Westslope Cutthroat Trout in Four Tributaries to the Blackfoot River, Montana
Author(s) -
Schmetterling David A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8675(2000)020<0776:rcofwc>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - tributary , trout , fluvial , oncorhynchus , streams , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , substrate (aquarium) , geology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , geography , geomorphology , biology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , computer network , cartography , structural basin , computer science
Westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi spawned in May 1998 as flows subsided after peak discharges in four tributaries to the Blackfoot River in western Montana. For 32 redds, water depths averaged 12.9 cm and velocities averaged 56 cm/s. Spawning occurred in substrate sizes ranging from 6 to 110 mm. Redd pits averaged 0.61 m long, and the total redd length averaged 1.34 m. Of the redds studied, 75% were upstream of the tailout of glides, 21% were found in riffles, and the remaining 9% were near the tailout of midchannel scour pools. Despite differences in stream characteristics, redd attributes were remarkably similar among streams. I found a wider variability in fluvial westslope cutthroat trout spawning habits than was previously reported for Montana.