Bull Trout of Crater Lake National Park
The bull trout is the only known fish species native to Crater Lake National Park. Bull trout are located only in Sun and Lost Creeks. Annie Creek is also within this species range and is considered bull trout habitat, although bull trout do not currently occur there.
The park has an active restoration program in progress. This program has resulted in elimination of non- native brook trout from Sun Creek 2000. Follow- up surveys indicate that bull trout are responding well in the wake of their restoration in the creek. [Crater Lake National Park Final General Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, 2005]
Please Note: Bull trout and Dolly Varden look very similar, and were once considered the same species. Taxonomic work, published in 1978 and accepted by the American Fisheries Society in 1980, identified bull trout as distinct from the Dolly Varden. Compared to Dolly Varden, bull trout are larger on average, with a relatively longer and broader head. Bull trout are mainly an inland species, while Dolly Varden are more common in coastal areas. [United States Fish and Wildlife Service online Fact Sheet, bulltrout.pdf]
Other Related Links
- Bull Trout – Nature Notes by Dr. Frank Lang
- Saving Bull Trout in Sun Creek – Nature Notes From Crater Lake, Mark Buktenica, 1992
- Native Species Protection and Exotic Species Control: A Bull Trout Restoration Project in Sun Creek – Nature Notes From Crater Lake, Mark Buktenica, Vol. 24 – 1993
- Fish And Stream Survey – O. L. Wallis, Vol. 13 – October 1947
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo
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