Bullhead Removal for Coastal Rainbow Trout Conservation in Southern California

The West Fork San Luis Rey River on Palomar Mountain, in Southern California hosts a population of native Coastal Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) that were threatened by the invasive Black Bullhead (Ameiurus melas). After two years of work, biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife achieved complete bullhead eradication within this stream. The project aimed to not only eradicate the bullhead, but also collect data to estimate its original population size, and also to monitor and protect the Coastal Rainbow Trout population. The team used Promar collapsible minnow traps and tuna-flavored cat treats to trap the bullhead, that were then counted and euthanized.