What to Do With Non-Native Trout Species?

We've created a problem – one that will take some work to solve.

Fun to catch? Yes. Native? No | Photo by Jasper Taback

When brown trout were introduced to the United States in the late 1800s, the goal was to provide more sport-fishing opportunities. It worked – brown trout have spread throughout the country, boosting recreational fishing opportunities along the way.

Unfortunately, their spread, along with the stocking of rainbow trout in non-native waters, has contributed to the decline of our native trout populations. The damage has been done – non-native trout are here, and in a big way. So now what? 

The State of Native Trout 

There was a time when all the trout in the United States were native to the rivers they swam in – brook trout in the east and the Great Lakes region, rainbows up and down the Pacific coast, and cutthroats in the Mountain West.

Today, there are rainbows in the east, brook trout in the Rocky Mountains, and brown trout all over the place. The introduction of non-native trout has pushed native fish into the farthest reaches of their original range, and some species are barely holding on. 

Should We Get Rid of All Non-Native Trout? 

If non-native trout are pushing native trout out, why not just eliminate them all? There are a couple of reasons.

Take brown trout as an example: Removing them would be a monumental project given the range they currently occupy in the US. They've also come to inhabit warmer, lower-elevation waters where native cutthroats or brookies wouldn't thrive, even if the brown trout were removed. In other words, you can enjoy fishing for brown trout in some waters and still be a proponent of conserving native species.

Selective Removal of Non-Native Trout

In some areas – the lakes, streams, and rivers where native trout have historically thrived – it absolutely does make sense to remove all non-native trout. This is often done with rotenone – a pesticide used to kill all fish in a section of water so that native fish can be reintroduced afterwards. It’s an unfortunately grim solution, but an effective one. 

Don't Write Them Off

There are places where we don't want non-native trout, but that doesn't mean we have to stop fishing for them altogether. Some day, if you live in the Rockies, you might have to travel to the East Coast if you want to catch brook trout, and you might have to head to lower elevation to catch brown trout. It would be a hassle, but a small price to pay to support native cutthroats.

There are ways to continue to enjoy non-native fish while protecting our native trout populations – the trout fishing world might just have to look a little different.