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Hilderbrand, R. H. 2002. Simulating supplementation strategies for restoring and maintaining stream resident cutthroat trout populations. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22:879-887. In a Nutshell: Problem - Cutthroat trout currently exist a small fraction of their historic range. Numerous efforts are underway to maintain small populations and expand into formerly occupied areas. What - I used a stage-based, stochastic matrix model to explore the effectiveness of a number of different reintroduction scenarios for restoring cutthroat trout populations or maintaining them for long-term persistence through supplemental and periodic stocking. Findings - A persistent population can be restored by introducing as few as 10% of the total carrying capacity provided some reproductive adults are included. A one-time introduction was as effective as repeated stockings in subsequent years. Simulations of supplemental stocking showed that even very small populations were persistent when stocked with as few as 10 adults every 10-20 years. The simulations suggest that stocking may be an effective form of artificial immigration for isolated populations. |
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