What direct result of logging practices, particularly clear-cutting near streams, negatively affected bull trout egg incubation?
Answer
Increased sediment runoff that smothers the necessary gravel beds
Logging operations, especially clear-cutting adjacent to vital streams, directly contributed to habitat degradation that proved lethal to the early life stages of the bull trout. The removal of streamside vegetation destabilizes the banks and dramatically increases surface runoff during rain events. This runoff carries large amounts of fine particulate matter and sediment directly into the aquatic environment. This sediment settles into the gravel substrate where the eggs are incubating in the redds, effectively smothering the eggs by blocking the necessary flow of clean, oxygenated water required for successful development, thus leading to high rates of reproductive failure.
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