A partner-driven decision support model to inform the reintroduction of bull trout.

ABSTRACT: 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.

SUBMITTER: Benjamin JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12061132 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature