Actually a char rather than a trout, the bull trout seeks out cold streams with ample shelter and clean gravel in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and parts of Canada. Since its habitat requirements are more stringent than those of many other fish, the bull trout is more sensitive to habitat alteration. It was listed as a threatened species in 1998. The greatest risks to bull trout come from logging, roadbuilding, overharvest and destructive mines like the proposed Rock Creek Mine in northwestern Montana. This copper and silver mine would set a terrible precedent by tunneling underneath the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, degrading habitat for grizzly bears and lynx as well as bull trout. Hydropower dams throughout the greater Columbia River basin also have negative impacts on bull trout.

Federally threatened.