Photo: NCC-TU Conservation Chair, Andrew Sarcinello, @suburbanflyfisher
Wild Trout in Maryland
Wild trout in Maryland, especially native brook trout, face many existential threats. According to MD DNR, brook trout have disappeared from 49% of previously-inhabited streams in central Maryland in just the past 30 years. Urban/suburban expansion is the primary reason for loss of brook trout, followed by competition with non-native brown trout. In a warming climate, Maryland brook trout populations will become even more stressed in the future. Brown trout are thriving and even expanding their range in many dozens of Maryland streams, but they are similarly vulnerable to urbanization and unchecked agricultural runoff.
What NCC-TU is Doing About It
NCC-TU Conservation Chair Andrew Sarcinello retrieves a data logger from a Catoctin Mountain stream. Photo by NCC-TU VP Ben Simonds.
|
Catoctin Mountains Project. In 2020, with support from a Patagonia retail grant, NCC-TU volunteers placed data loggers in known brook trout streams in the Catoctin Mountains as part of a project to map their temperature profiles during the summer months at a level of detail that has never been done before.
The goal is to reveal the locations of summer coldwater refuges that need protection, reveal warm water influence areas to be mitigated with future projects, and give general insight into how streams in that region may hold up long term against the impacts of climate change. The data loggers will document the warmest summer water temperatures at each site. We expect to collect an incredible amount of data from this effort, which can inform future work by TU and Maryland DNR and help them act in the best interests of these critically important brook trout populations. |
What's Next?
Some of the Catoctin Mountain temperature loggers will be left in the streams to record data for several years. The multi-year data will be used by MDE for regulatory purposes. The data loggers that were retrieved will be deployed again in different watersheds across Maryland in the future.
The next area of interest is the upper Patuxent River watershed above Triadelphia Reservoir. Located in Patuxent River State Park, the upper Patuxent supports a reproducing population of brown trout in the main stream and several tributaries. TU hopes to use water temperature data to learn about the critical areas in the watershed for wild trout survival.
The next area of interest is the upper Patuxent River watershed above Triadelphia Reservoir. Located in Patuxent River State Park, the upper Patuxent supports a reproducing population of brown trout in the main stream and several tributaries. TU hopes to use water temperature data to learn about the critical areas in the watershed for wild trout survival.
Follow us on Instagram @WildTroutMD
Resources
MDE Water page: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Water/Pages/index.aspx
MDE Designated Use Definitions: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Water/TMDL/WaterQualityStandards/Pages/wqs_designated_uses.aspx
MDE Stream Designated Use Map: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/tmdl/waterqualitystandards/pages/designatedusesmaps.aspx
MD DNR Freshwater Fisheries Management: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/inland.aspx
MD DNR Brook Trout Program: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/pages/brook-trout/index.aspx
Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS): https://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/pages/mbss.aspx
Maryland Stream Health Map: https://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Pages/streamhealth/default.aspx
Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture: https://easternbrooktrout.org/
MDE Designated Use Definitions: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Water/TMDL/WaterQualityStandards/Pages/wqs_designated_uses.aspx
MDE Stream Designated Use Map: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/tmdl/waterqualitystandards/pages/designatedusesmaps.aspx
MD DNR Freshwater Fisheries Management: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/inland.aspx
MD DNR Brook Trout Program: https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/pages/brook-trout/index.aspx
Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS): https://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/pages/mbss.aspx
Maryland Stream Health Map: https://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Pages/streamhealth/default.aspx
Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture: https://easternbrooktrout.org/