Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? Resident and Migratory Life History Behaviors in Willamette Valley Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) in the Long Tom River Basin

In 2010, the Long Tom Watershed Council and Oregon Department Fish Wildlife Salmon Trout Enhancement Program initiated a study to examine the seasonal migration behavior of coastal cutthroat trout in two major drainages within the Long Tom Watershed northwest of Eugene. In these two drainages, both of which are located downstream of Fern Ridge Dam and have some degree of connectivity to the Willamette River, resident and fluvial life-history coastal cutthroat trout are present. The goals of the study are to determine the proportion of fish exhibiting each of the suspected life-histories (ie. resident vs. migratory) and to characterize the seasonal migrations (timing and duration) of these fish.  In order to monitor cutthroat trout movements around the two drainages, we captured the fish using stationary fish traps and backpack electroshockers.  The fish were marked with PIT tags and tracked with trap recaptures and array stations.