Editing Bull trout (section)

==Conservation==
[[Image:Bull trout sign at Lake Pend Oreille.jpg|thumb|left|Bull trout sign at [[Lake Pend Oreille]] in Idaho]]
The bull trout is listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act throughout its range in the [[contiguous United States]].<ref name=usfws/> In 1998, the [[Klamath River]] [[distinct population segment]] (DPS) and [[Columbia River]] DPS were federally listed as threatened.<ref>{{Federal Register|63|31647}}</ref>  This finding followed a legal challenge<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cite.case.law/f-supp/945/1388/|title=''Friends of the Wild Swan, Inc. v. United States Fish & Wildlife Service'', 945 F. Supp. 1388|date=13 November 1996|website=Caselaw Access Project|publisher=Harvard Law School Library|access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref> to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's (USFWS) decision in 1994<ref>{{Federal Register|59|30254}}</ref> to assign a lower priority to the species' listing.  The [[Jarbidge River]] DPS was listed as endangered under an emergency rule in 1998,<ref name="Federal Register|63|42757">{{Federal Register|63|42757}}</ref> and was subsequently downgraded to threatened in 1999.<ref name="Federal Register|63|42757"/>  Finally, in determining that the Coastal-[[Puget Sound]] and [[St. Mary River (Alberta–Montana)|St. Mary]]-[[Belly River]] DPS were threatened, the USFWS issued a threatened listing for all bull trout in the lower 48 states in 1999.<ref>{{Federal Register|64|58910}}</ref>

In the United States, bull trout are used as a management indicator species for several national forests, including [[Boise National Forest]] and [[Sawtooth National Forest]] ([[Sawtooth National Recreation Area]]).  They can also be found in the [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/products/LakeTrout_03_Info08.pdf|title=Preservation of Threatened Bull Trout in Glacier National Park|publisher=USGS|access-date=2013-09-24}}</ref> Bull trout reproduction requires cold water and very low amounts of [[silt]], both of which are negatively impacted by road building and logging.  Additionally, its need to migrate throughout river systems may be hindered by impassible fish barriers, such as dams.<ref name=kingco/> Bull trout populations are also in danger from [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridization]] with non-native brook trout.<ref name=wdfw/> Several of these issues were raised in a long-running lawsuit where in 2003, the Oregon Natural Desert Association and the Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Forest Service claiming they violated the [[National Forest Management Act]] and [[Wild and Scenic Rivers Act]] by approving grazing plans in [[Oregon|Oregon's]] [[Malheur National Forest]].  In April 2018, U.S. District Judge [[Michael W. Mosman]] dismissed the complaint.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-bull-trout-malheur-forest-lawsuit-dismissed/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421224853/https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-bull-trout-malheur-forest-lawsuit-dismissed/|archive-date=21 April 2018|title=Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Claiming Grazing Hurts Oregon Bull Trout|publisher=OPB via AP Capital Press|author=Mateusz Perkowski|date=21 April 2018}}</ref>

They are a prized [[game fish]] in [[northern Canada]]. It was once maligned out of fear they threatened populations of other native species more prized by anglers.  Some jurisdictions publicize the requirement to release with the slogan "No black, put it back".<ref>{{cite web|title=The bull trout has no black on its dorsal fin|url=http://fwpiis.mt.gov/bulltroutid/training/training5.htm|work=Bull Trout Identification & Education Program|publisher=Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Dept.|access-date=10 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002041419/http://fwpiis.mt.gov/bulltroutid/training/training5.htm|archive-date=2 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Within Canada, bull trout have been designated as a "species of Special Concern" by both the [[Government of Alberta]] and the [[Government of British Columbia]].<ref name=cosewic2012>{{cite web|url=https://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_omble_tete_plat_bull_trout_1113_e.pdf|title=COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Bull Trout ''Salvelinus confluentus'' in Canada|location=Ottawa|publisher=Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada|author=COSEWIC|year=2012|access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref>{{rp|71–72}} By the recommendation of [[COSEWIC]],<ref name=cosewic2012/>{{rp|iv}} the Saskatchewan-Nelson Rivers population in Alberta was listed as threatened under the [[Species at Risk Act]] in 2019.<ref name=sarasaskatchewan/>