DV-06-008 Characterizing brook trout movement in coastal waters

Ben Letcher
Silvio O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center

Very little is known about the life history of sea-run brook trout in Maine. Yet knowing how brook trout utilize marine habitat is important information for fisheries managers who are charged with maintaining and protection brook trout populations. This project will attempt to identify the range of strategies that brook trout use to move between freshwater streams and coastal waters, helping managers to determine whether sea-run trout need specific management actions.

Letcher (with colleagues from the National Park Service, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, NOAA-Fisheries, and the University of Maine) will PIT tag brook trout in Stanley Brook, in Acadia National Park, to follow their migration and movement patterns. This project will contribute to current collaborative research on sea-run fisheries in Maine .

1-year project: $6,000

Associated publications

Schmitt, C. 2007. Uniting efforts to restore Eastern brook trout. Natural Resources Year in Review 2006 (Reston, VA: National Park Service), December.

Schmitt, C. 2007. The Salters of Stanley Brook. Friends of Acadia Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1, Summer.