Conservation Status Of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout

Discusses taxonomy, reasons for decline, life history and ecology, and suggestions for preservation and management of six closely related trouts native to western North America: Colorado River cutthroat, Salmo clarki pleuriticus; greenback trout, S. c. stomias; Lahontan cutthroat, S. c. henshawi; Paiute trout, S. c. seleniris; Gila trout, S. gilae; and Arizona native trout, S. apache. Meristic characters, distribution and status, habitat requirements and limiting factors, protective measures, and management recommendations are presented for each taxon.

This document focuses on the current status, distribution and range for five subspecies of cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki, which are found largely on national forest system lands and ecosystems in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain West within the U.S. from the Canadian to the Mexican border. The 5 subspecies -- Westslope, Yellowstone, Bonneville, Rio Grande, and Colorado River cutthroat trout -- are designated either species of special concern or sensitive. These subspecies are presently restricted to a fragment of their former range. Includes assessment methods, and origins and taxonomic theory. Illustrated.

This document focuses on the state of the science for five subspecies of cutthroat trout found largely on public lands in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain West. These subspecies are restricted to a fragment of their former range, and primarily occupy small, high-elevation streams. Little is known about the three rarest subspecies (Bonneville, Colorado River, and Rio Grande cutthroat trout), and the data on the more abundant subspecies (westslope and Yellowstone cutthroat trout) were obtained from relatively few areas. The historic diversity of life history strategies has been reduced. All subspecies have suffered from introductions of nonnative fishes, habitat degradation and fragmentation, and overfishing. Current management often centers on restrictive angling regulations, barricading streams to prevent invasion by nonnative fishes, and reintroductions into streams with existing barriers.