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Alberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. #Classification: Public1

Alberta Bull Trout Recovery PlanPublished by Alberta Environment and ParksISSN: 1702-4900 2020 Government of Alberta.This publication is issued under the Open Government Licence – Alberta (http://open.alberta.ca/licence).For more information regarding this content visit: t2Classification: PublicAlberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull Trout

Table of ContentsAcknowledgements . 7Recovery Planning in Alberta . 8Executive Summary . 91.0Introduction . 132.0Process for Plan Development . 173.0Situational Analysis . 183.1Key Natural History Characteristics . 183.2Population Status . 193.2.1Fish Sustainability Index (FS I) . 193.2.2Bull Trout Population Changes Since the 1950s . 213.3Historical Perspective: Land Use Management and Native Trout . 233.4A New Approach to Assessing Threats. 294.03.4.1Identifying the Most Probable and Widespread Threats . 313.4.2Assessing Cumulative E ffects and Potential Recovery Targets . 373.4.3Models, Unc ertainty and Adaptive Management . 38Recovery Objectives . 394.1Recovery Area. 394.2Assessing Recovery Potential and Recovery Objectives. 415.0Habit at Needed to Support Recovery . 466.0Recovery Strategies and Actions . 516.1Increase the Prominence of Native Trout Conservation . 516.2Learning by Doing: Watershed-Specific Restoration Projects . 546.3Strategies to Address the Wide-Ranging Potential Threats to Bull Trout . 556.3.1Reduction of Sediment and Phosphorus . 566.3.2Eliminate Human-caused Barriers to Bull Trout Movement . 616.3.3Reduce Incidental Angling Mortality and Poaching . 63Alberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull TroutClassification: Public3

6.4Continue to Develop and Implement Science-Supported Land-use Thresholds forKey Threats. 686.57.0Emerging Issues and Knowledge Gaps . 69Implementation Plan . 737.1Key Considerations . 737.2Integrated Program Delivery . 737.3Recovery Priorities . 767.4Estimated Costs and Responsibility for Implementing Major Activities . 777.5Progress Reporting and Plan Revision . 788.0Socio-economic Scan. 799.0Literature Cited . 86Appendices . 94Appendix A: Assessing Recovery Potential . 94Appendix B: Review of Biophysical Characteristics of Riparian Habitat . 984Classification: PublicAlberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull Trout

List of FiguresFigure 1. Timeline of bull trout status assessments, management plans andsportfi shing regulation changes to pre sent. . 16Figure 2. Risk-ranking category from 0 to 5 based on current status of the populationcompared to a theoretical historical benchmark population prior to modernhuman influence. . 20Figure 3. The bull trout Fish Sustainability Index (FSI) scores within the historical (i.e.pre-1950s) distribution compared to the current population status (n 88 HUC8 watersheds) (ASRD 2012). 22Figure 4. Comparison of the historical (i.e. pre-1950s) and current populations status inlocal watersheds (n 88 HUC 8) using Fi sh Sustainability Index score s. 23Figure 5. Road density change over time in the major river basins in the Bull TroutRecovery Area as calculated using the software ALCES (A LandscapeCumulative Effects Simulator https://www.alces.ca/). The solid line indicatesthe average value while the greyed area indicates the standard error amongthe watersheds (HUC 8) within the basin. . 26Figure 6. Bull trout Fish Sustainability Index score (2013) in relation to road densitywithin the Green Area (cross hatch) and White Area (no cross hatch). . 27Figure 7. Threats and limiting factors known to be important considerations for bulltrout recovery. . 31Figure 8. Predicted bull trout Fish Sustainability Index score at different watertemperatures. 32Figure 9. The range of predicted impacts of various potential limiting factors on adultbull trout density in Alberta. The predicted impact of each factor wascalculated for all HUC 8 watersheds that historically or currently contain bulltrout (n 88). . 34Figure 10. Explanation of how to interpret a box and whisker plot. . 35Figure 11. Example of how threats interact cumulatively and how the model can beused to generate potential recovery scenarios. . 37Figure 12 Bull Trout Recovery Area and the current population status in localwatersheds (HUC 8). Note that the Upper Crowsnest and the Upper Ram HUC8s were split at waterfalls to better characterize bull trout population statusupstream and downstream of the waterfall. . 40Alberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull TroutClassification: Public5

Figure 13. Representation of recovery potential based on current understanding of thefactors affecting bull trout populations within the recovery area. The futurestate of each HUC 8 was based on model predictions of how system capacitycan be improved based on a hypothetical threat mitigation scenario (seeAppendix A). Note that the Upper Crowsnest and the Upper Ram HUC 8swere split at waterfalls to better characterize bull trout population recoverycategories upstream and downstream of the waterfall. Inset map shows HUC10s within a HUC 8 watershed. . 45Figure 14. Summary of cited literature on the contributions and mitigation effects ofriparian buffers around streams based on major terrestrial interactions withstream function, dynamics and habitat needs for trout. Each point indicates acitation with data or a recommendation on a distance for a buffer ofterrestrial vegetation needed to maintain an attribute of stream function (SeeAppendix B for a review of the scientific literature). . 50Figure 15. The ranges of westslope cutthroat trout and Athabasca rainbow troutrelative to the range of bull trout. 75List of TablesTable 1. Provincial (Alberta’s Wildlife Act) and federal (Species at Risk Act) status ofEa stern Slopes fi sh. . 29Table 2. Summary of the predicted impacts of various human-caused changes in thereaches of the major river basins that contain bull trout. An "X" indicates thatthe cumulative effects model predicts that at least 50% of the HUC 8watersheds are affected by a score of at least 1.0. . 36Table 3. Summary of the habitat requirements or each life stage of bull trout. Reprintedwith some modifications from DFO (2017) with permission. . 47Table 4. The amount of agricultural land in each recovery potential category for eachbasin within the Bull Trout Recovery Area. The national parks were notincluded in this analysis. Agricultural land was calculated from the AlbertaBiodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) Wall to Wall 2010 Landcover layer(AMBI 2010) and includes tilled land in annual crops or pastures seeded toperennial forbs and gra sse s. . 57Table 5. Potential social and economic impacts if the proposed strategies andassociated actions in the Bull Trout Recovery Plan are implemented. . 806Classification: PublicAlberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull Trout

AcknowledgementsWe would like to acknowledge all the input that was provided in workshops, online postings andmeetings with stakeholders and Government of Alberta staff. In particular we would like toacknowledge the input provided by the provincial advisory committee as they patiently wadedthrough all the new concepts and approaches developed in this plan.In particular, we would like to thank Mike Sullivan, Laura McPherson, and Andrew Paul for theirhelp in developing the cumulative effects model that underpins this plan. We are also indebted tothe support and reviews of: Paul Christensen, Kenton Neufeld, Mike Blackburn, Marcel Macullo,Dani Walker, Ben Kissinger, Mike Wagner, Wendy Giamberardino, Clayton James, CraigJohnson, John Tchir, Dave Hugelschaffer, Kayedon Wilcox, and Dave Park and project sponsorSue Cotterill. Special thanks to David Johns for help with developing some of the figures.Alberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull TroutClassification: Public7

Recovery Planning in AlbertaAlbertans are fortunate to share their province with an impressive diversity of wild species.Populations of most species of plants and animals are healthy and secure. However, a smallnumber of species are either naturally rare or are now imperiled because of human activities ornatural processes. Alberta Species at Risk recovery plans establish a basis for cooperationamong government, industry, conservation groups, landowners and other stakeholders to ensurethese species and populations are restored or maintained for future generations of Albertans.Alberta has a robust provincial recovery program to support its commitment to the federal/provincial Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk and the National Framework for theConservation of Species at Risk , and its requirements established under Alberta’s Wildlife Actand the federal Species at Risk Act. An overall goal of the program is to restore species identifiedas Threatened or Endangered to viable, naturally self-sustaining populations within Alberta.Alberta Environment and Parks is committed to providing opportunities for Indigenouscommunities, stakeholders, and the Alberta public to provide their perspectives and influenceplan content during the recovery planning process. The process for how Albertans are engagedcan vary based on the socio-economic and conservation issues and the level of interestexpressed. Draft recovery plans undergo a review by the Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Branchand are then posted online for public comment for at least 30 days. Following public review,Alberta’s Endangered Species Conservation Committee reviews draft plans and providesrecommendations on their acceptability to the Minister of Environment and Parks. Plans acceptedand approved for implementation by the Minister are published as a provincial governmentrecovery plan. Approved plans are a summary of the Ministry of Environment and Park’scommitment to work with involved stakeholders to coordinate and implement conservation actionsnecessary to restore or maintain vulnerable species.Recovery plans include two main sections: (1) a situational analysis that highlights the species’distribution and population trends, threats, and conservation actions to date; and (2) a recoverysection that outlines goals, objectives, associated broader strategies, and specific priority actionsrequired to maintain or recover Threatened or Endangered species. Each

6 Alberta Species at Risk Recovery Plan No. 46—Bull Trout Classificatoi n: Pubilc Figure 13. Representation of recovery potential based on current understanding of the factors affecting bull trout populations within the recovery area. The future state of each HUC 8 was based on model predictions of how system capacity