Native Brook Trout
"…each dollar spent to fish for mountain trout in NC returns $1.93 to its economy and results in a $1.38 billion impact."
Annual tournaments, gear shops, guiding and hatchery work all thrive on the Qualla Boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee bringing the EBCI $93 million and about 45,000 visitors annually.
The upheaval caused by Hurricane Helene was particularly hard on the Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Once abundant across the region for which it is named, the fish has lost roughly 80 percent of its range since 1900. Because the animal is so sensitive to pollution and temperature changes, biologists consider it a bellwether for the region’s forests and streams.
Now, climate-induced vacillations between extreme rain and long, dry months when streams run lower and warmer further threaten the Southern Appalachian brook trout.
Scientists worry that the fish, which is not federally listed as endangered or even threatened, could be pinched out at the southern end of its range as waterways grow warmer. Trout Unlimited has reported that 45 percent of the Southeast’s historical trout stream habitat has already disappeared and another three degree increase will result in another 20 percent loss.
Our project aims to work with the Cherokee Department of Natural Resources, local trout fishing shop owners and guide services to identify streams and mountain bogs in critical need of a rewilding effort aimed at providing bank stabilization and lowering water temperatures.
Associated Efforts
More information coming soon
Annual tournaments, gear shops, guiding and hatchery work all thrive on the Qualla Boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee bringing the EBCI $93 million and about 45,000 visitors annually.
The upheaval caused by Hurricane Helene was particularly hard on the Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Once abundant across the region for which it is named, the fish has lost roughly 80 percent of its range since 1900. Because the animal is so sensitive to pollution and temperature changes, biologists consider it a bellwether for the region’s forests and streams.
Now, climate-induced vacillations between extreme rain and long, dry months when streams run lower and warmer further threaten the Southern Appalachian brook trout.
Scientists worry that the fish, which is not federally listed as endangered or even threatened, could be pinched out at the southern end of its range as waterways grow warmer. Trout Unlimited has reported that 45 percent of the Southeast’s historical trout stream habitat has already disappeared and another three degree increase will result in another 20 percent loss.
Our project aims to work with the Cherokee Department of Natural Resources, local trout fishing shop owners and guide services to identify streams and mountain bogs in critical need of a rewilding effort aimed at providing bank stabilization and lowering water temperatures.
Associated Efforts
- Data collection — water temperature, water sample testing, flow rates
- Rewilding — planting of new hemlock, oak, maple, ash trees to aid cooling
- River cleanups — invasive plant removal
- Involvement in dam removals and bank stabilization projects
More information coming soon