Occupancy of brook trout and brown trout in streams of the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone

Species distribution models offer a cost-effective way to estimate where fish are without doing an exhaustive inventory across the landscape. Using presence and absence data, these models predict the summertime occupancy of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in streams of the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone in southern Ontario.

Understanding which streams might support brook trout and brown trout is valuable to conservation and resource management activities such as:

• assessing habitat
• predicting species occurrences
• informing inventory, conservation, and restoration efforts