Learning about cutthroat trout

I’ve been able to have some incredible experiences learning about cutthroat trout last summer and this summer. I am in the Murdock Foundation’s Partners in Science program. This program pays teachers to do research with college professors over two summers. Science teachers: you might want to check it out: http://murdocktrust.org/grant-opportunities/high-school-science-teachers-and-research-partners/

I have been working with an ISU biology professor and one of his graduate students. We found four creeks in southeast Idaho that have native cutthroat trout populations, and we are experimenting with a way to improve habitat for them. This involves building small structures across the creeks to create pools for the fish. In order to see if this works, we electrofished the creeks last summer and tagged and measured the trout we caught before releasing them back to the water. We also collected samples of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Then the structures (which look a lot like small beaver dams) were put into place, and we’ll go back out to sample the areas this summer to see what the conditions are like.

I’ve been learning a lot about what the trout like to eat, what they spend their energy on (staying in one place in a stream, watching for food to drift by, is a lot of work!), where they spawn, how they need a variety of habitats within their creek, and what problems humans have caused, even in these small, somewhat remote creeks.

Plus, electrofishing is cool! In one of the creeks, we caught about 400 trout in less than 1.5 miles of creek—most were only a few inches long, but it was still incredible! And there are a lot of benefits for me: I’m learning a lot, I have a lot to bring back to my students, I get to explore Idaho’s wonderful outdoors (I didn’t even know these four creeks existed!), and I’m getting paid!