Benjamin Joseph R, Neibauer Judith, Anthony Hugh, Vazquez Jose, Rawhouser Ashley, Dunham Jason B
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, Idaho, United States of America.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wenatchee, Washington, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 May 8;20(5):e0323427. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323427. eCollection 2025.
Assessments of species reintroductions involve a series of complex decisions that include human perspectives and ecological contexts. Here, we present a reintroduction assessment involving bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) using a structured decision-making process. We approached this assessment by engaging partners representing public utilities, government agencies, and Tribes with shared interests in a potential reintroduction. These individuals identified objectives, decision alternatives, and ecological scenarios that were incorporated into a co-produced simulation-based model of potential reintroduction outcomes. The model included mathematical representations of habitat availability, life history expression, and assumptions regarding constraints on potential bull trout populations. Within each recipient stream, partners chose to explore a wide range of decision alternatives and simulated scenarios affecting reintroduction success. Results suggested that 1) reintroductions using eggs or adults were most optimal, 2) adding more individuals resulted in diminishing returns, 3) access to migratory habitat could improve success, and 4) the diversity of opportunities for life history expression led to improved reintroduction opportunities. In addition, modeled scenarios indicated some recipient streams consistently produced lower abundance of reintroduced bull trout. This work contributes a novel example to a growing portfolio of reintroduction assessments that may inform future conservation for bull trout and many other species facing similar challenges.
对物种重新引入的评估涉及一系列复杂的决策，其中包括人类视角和生态背景。在此，我们展示一项使用结构化决策过程对公牛鳟（Salvelinus confluentus）进行的重新引入评估。我们通过让代表公用事业、政府机构和部落的合作伙伴参与来进行此次评估，这些合作伙伴对潜在的重新引入有着共同兴趣。这些人员确定了目标、决策选项以及生态情景，并将其纳入一个共同制作的基于模拟的潜在重新引入结果模型。该模型包括栖息地可利用性、生活史表现的数学表示，以及关于对潜在公牛鳟种群限制的假设。在每条接纳溪流中，合作伙伴选择探索一系列广泛的决策选项以及影响重新引入成功的模拟情景。结果表明：1）使用鱼卵或成鱼进行重新引入最为理想；2）增加个体数量的回报递减；3）获得洄游栖息地可提高成功率；4）生活史表现机会的多样性会带来更好的重新引入机会。此外，模拟情景表明一些接纳溪流中重新引入的公牛鳟数量始终较低。这项工作为不断增加的重新引入评估案例提供了一个新的范例，可为未来公牛鳟以及许多面临类似挑战的其他物种的保护工作提供参考。
