Aubree Benson

Non Forest Service

In the photo, I am holding a large (7 pound) bull trout. We captured this trout below the Emily-A-Dam, which is in the background. The dam was on the Clearwater River near Seeley Lake, Montana. I had just finished implanting a radio transmitter in this fish, which I then carried over the dam and released. Then I tracked the trout’s movement to its spawning tributary. The fish was unharmed from the process. This experience was a part of my research as a Master’s student at the University of Montana.

During this research, I helped determine that the dam had a major impact on the bull trout population. After that, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks removed the dam in 2010 to benefit bull trout.

One of my avorite science-related experiences was related to the bull trout research. To identify individual trout, we clipped the adipose fin (the little fin just before the tail fin) of each bull trout we moved over the dam. Once the fish swam to their spawning stream, we snorkeled to determine how many fish in the spawning tributary were fish that had a fin clip versus fish that had migrated from elsewhere. We were able to show that over 40 percent of the spawning population was made up of fish we had passed over the dam. Those data helped us justify why the dam needed to be removed!