Dutchman Creek Westslope Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project FWP-DN-FSH-R3-24-006

Apr 25, 2024 3:05 PM

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) proposes to restore native westslope cutthroat trout (WCT) in Dutchman Creek. Dutchman Creek is a tributary to Prickly Pear Creek in the Elkhorn Mountains near Helena, MT. Native WCT were first documented in Dutchman Creek by Hadley (1981) when no brook trout were observed in the 2.3-mile project area. Subsequent fishery surveys also confirmed a lack of brook trout above the boulder field “barrier” in 1999 (Nelson 2004). Invasion of brook trout appeared to occur between 1999 and 2003 upstream of a short reach of Dutchman Creek underground flow, which apparently was a barrier to upstream brook trout migration prior to 1999. From 2003 to 2022, brook trout gradually increased and WCT significantly decreased in abundance and <50 WCT remained in 2022 (a decrease over >90%).

The proposed project intends to remove brook trout from the project area and restore WCT using a combination of native WCT from Dutchman Creek and the nearby South Fork of Warm Springs Creek.

More specifically, the project includes the following actions:

1. Rescue remaining WCT in Dutchman Creek by transporting them to a fishless reach of stream protected by a constructed fish barrier (South Fork Sixteenmile Creek)

2. Construct a fish passage barrier downstream of the underground reach of Dutchman Creek to prevent future colonization by non‐native fish

3. Remove non‐native brook trout and brown trout above the to-be-established fish barrier on Dutchman Creek

4. Restore WCT to the project area by gathering and transporting live progeny of native Dutchman Creek and South Fork Warm Springs Creek WCT, which have previously been translocated to the fishless section of South Fork Sixteenmile Creek, above the constructed fish barrier.

PURPOSE AND NEED

The purpose of this project is to conserve the native WCT population in Dutchman Creek by removing non‐native brook trout upstream of a to-be-constructed fish barrier on Dutchman Creek. FWP anticipates invasive brook trout would eliminate WCT in Dutchman Creek within the next 5 years if no action is taken.