Wildhay River Native Trout Inventory

Athabasca rainbow trout and bull trout are listed under the Species at Risk Act, which identifies many anthropogenic threats to native trout in the province. Alberta’s Native Trout Recovery Program is a collaboration of government and non-government organizations tasked with assessing native trout populations and promoting recovery of at-risk populations. Through this collaborative, the Wildhay River watershed was identified as a priority for native trout population assessment. In the summer of 2022, we used backpack electrofishing to assess fish populations at 44 sites randomly distributed across five sub-watersheds in the Wildhay River system. We captured a total of 200 fish of six species. Athabasca rainbow trout, captured in three of the sub-watersheds, were the most widely distributed species. Bull trout were caught in two of the five sub-watersheds. Brook trout were the most abundant species captured, but only occurred in one sub-watershed (Moberly Creek).

Partnerships

Alberta Native Trout Collaborative, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Government of Alberta

Annual Summaries

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