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COASTAL CUTTHROAT TROUT Oncorhynchus Clarkii Clarkii (Richardson)

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COASTAL CUTTHROAT TROUT Oncorhynchus Clarkii Clarkii (Richardson) COASTAL CUTTHROAT TROUT Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii (Richardson) Moderate Concern. Status Score = 2.7 out of 5.0. Coastal cutthroat trout populations in California are small, fragmented, and face multiple threats, including cumulative impacts from land use practices and predicted outcomes of climate change in their range. However, their numbers appear to be stable in the few watersheds they inhabit along the Northern California coast. Description: Coastal cutthroat trout are similar in appearance to coastal rainbow trout (O. mykiss) but have heavier spotting, particularly below the lateral line, and heavy spots on ventral fins. Adults have spotting on the lower mandible and more pointed heads than coastal rainbow trout. The spots become nearly invisible when fish become silvery during smolting and migrations to and from the sea. Mature fish in fresh water have a dark coppery or brassy appearance, especially on the fins (Behnke 1992, Moyle 2002). Cutthroat trout are more slender than rainbow trout and possess characteristic red to orange to yellow slashes under the mandibles, though the slashes are rarely visible until the fish reach over 80 mm total length (TL) (Scott and Crossman 1973, Behnke 1992). Larger fish have long maxillary bones extending past the eye. Well-developed teeth are found on the jaws, vomer, palatines, tongue, and sometimes on the basibranchial bones (Rizza 2015). The dorsal fin has 9-11 rays, the anal fin 8-12 rays, the pelvic fins 9-10 rays, and the pectoral fins 12-15 rays. There are 15-28 gill rakers on each arch and 9-12 branchiostegal rays. The caudal fin is moderately forked and scales are smaller than those of rainbow trout, with 140-200 along the lateral line (Behnke 1992). Parr possess 9-10 widely spaced parr marks (vertical bars) along the lateral line and juveniles may be difficult to distinguish from rainbow trout parr by visual identification (Kennedy et al. 2009, Rizza 2015). Anadromous forms rarely exceed 40 cm fork length (FL) and 2 kg, but individuals reaching 70 cm and 8 kg have been recorded. It is uncommon for individuals from landlocked populations to exceed 30 cm FL. Tagged fish in California have been known to live up to seven years old (M. Sparkman, CDFW, pers. comm. 2016). Taxonomic Relationships: The coastal cutthroat has long been recognized as distinct and was the first cutthroat trout described by John Richardson in 1836. He used the name “Salmo clarkii,” so clarkii with a ‘double-i’ ending is the correct name (Trotter 2007). Behnke (1992, 1997) proposed that approximately one million years ago, cutthroat trout diverged into two major lineages, the coastal cutthroat (O. c. clarkii) and all the other interior subspecies (with complex evolutionary histories). Coastal cutthroat are characterized by having 68 chromosomes and interior cutthroat subspecies are characterized by possessing either 66 or 64 chromosomes. The 64-chromosome fish include Lahontan cutthroat (O. c. henshawi) and Paiute cutthroat (O. c. seleneris) in California (Trotter 2007). Coastal cutthroat have numerous populations across their range that spend their entire life cycle in fresh water but are genetically connected to sea-run populations (Trotter 2007). Coastal cutthroat colonized coastal rivers from the Eel River in northern California to Prince William Sound in Alaska (Johnson et al. 1999). California’s populations are at the southern end of the coast range lineage and include both sea-run and freshwater populations, which are considered part of the Southern Oregon-California Coast DPS (Johnson et al. 1999; Trotter 2007). While separate species, coastal cutthroat and steelhead 1 hybridize naturally, and specific processes and phenomena that have become well studied recently keep them distinct (Beuhrens et al. 2013, Rizza 2015). Distribution: Coastal cutthroat trout are distributed from the Cowpen Creek, in Prince William Sound, Alaska, to tributaries to the Salt River, a southern tributary to the Eel River estuary (Humboldt Co.) in California. In California, coastal cutthroat trout have been observed in 182 named streams (approximately 71% of the 252 named streams within their range in California) and an additional 45 streams may support populations (Gerstung 1997, Figure 1). Figure 1. Coastal cutthroat trout observations (white circles) in California showing the southern extent of the species range near the Eel River watershed. From: CCTIC 2015. 2 Coastal cutthroat trout persist in lower Salt River tributaries near Ferndale and lower Eel and Van Duzen river tributaries such as Stitz and Fox creeks (A. Renger, CDFW, pers. comm. 2016, CCTIC 2016). North of the Eel River, their range coincides closely with that of temperate coastal rainforest and spans most of the Smith River tributaries to the Oregon border through Humboldt, Del Norte, and Siskiyou counties (Trotter 2007, CCTIC 2016). The interior range of the subspecies in Washington, Oregon, and California is bounded by rain forests on the western slope of the Cascade Range; their range rarely extends inland more than 160 km and is usually less than 100 km (Johnson et al. 1999). In California, this band is to near the South Fork of the Eel River and nearly as far in the Van Duzen River, and is nearly 48 km wide at the Oregon border (Moyle 2002). However, a small resident population exists in Elliot Creek in Siskiyou County, about 120 km from the ocean. Elliot Creek is a tributary to Applegate River in Oregon, which drains into the Rogue River. Fish from Elliot Creek have been transplanted successfully to Twin Valley Creek in the Klamath River watershed (Moyle 2002), where they still persist (J. Weaver, CDFW, pers. comm. 2011). Cutthroat from other parts of their range have also been successfully transplanted to Indian Creek, also in the Klamath River watershed (M. McCain, USFS, pers. comm. 2011). Recent anecdotal evidence also places a coastal cutthroat population as far inland as Panther Creek, tributary to Redwood Creek (M. Sparkman, CDFW, pers. comm. 2016), and a smolt trap in mid-upper Redwood Creek (rkm 53) captures small numbers of coastal cutthroat each year (Sparkman 2016). Self-sustaining populations apparently occur in many coastal basins, including Humboldt Bay tributaries, Little River, and Redwood Creek (Gerstung 1997). The principal large basins where coastal cutthroat trout occur are the Smith and lower Klamath rivers and Redwood Creek (M. Sparkman, CDFW pers. comm. 2016). Cutthroat trout also rear in approximately 1875 ha of habitat in several coastal lagoons and ponds: Big, Stone, Freshwater, and the Lake Earl-Talawa complex, though may no longer be present in Espa Lagoon due to desiccation (Gerstung 1997). The largest populations are currently in the Smith River, and to a lesser extent, the lower Klamath River and tributaries, though pristine Prairie Creek, with its intact old-growth forest is perhaps the most productive coastal cutthroat habitat remaining in the state (Gale and Randolph 2000, M. Sparkman, CDFW, pers. comm. 2016). Gerstung (1997) indicated that the lower Mad River is another area of high cutthroat occupancy, but more recent assessments indicate that it contains only a small population and does not produce as many fish as neighboring watersheds (M. Sparkman, pers. comm. 2016). Historical coastal cutthroat trout distribution once encompassed all or nearly all Smith River tributaries, and may have once extended farther south to the Russian River in Sonoma County (DeWitt 1954). There are anecdotal reports of cutthroat trout in several streams from the Mattole River down to the Garcia River (Gerstung 1997); however, there are currently no known populations south of the Eel River. No coastal cutthroat trout have been observed in neighboring Mendocino County in recent memory (S. Gallagher, CDFW, pers. comm. 2016). Life History: Coastal cutthroat trout are the least understood salmonid along the North Coast of California due to the dearth of studies directed at them; they are neither commercially harvested nor listed under the Endangered Species Act. In addition, they possess widely variable life history strategies (DeWitt 1954; Pauley et al. 1989, Moyle 2002, Beuhrens et al. 2013). This plasticity is among the most extreme in Pacific salmonids, and variations in migratory behavior are found both between and within populations. Trotter (2007) categorizes the diversity into four main life history groups: (1) amphidromous (sea-run), (2) lacustrine, (3) riverine (potadromous), 3 and (4) stream-resident. These diverse life history strategies make habitat connectivity and access crucial to the continued persistence of this species in its native range. The amphidromous forms are not considered anadromous because they can move back and forth between fresh and salt water multiple times to feed, often on other juvenile salmonids, although they must also migrate into fresh water to spawn. Lacustrine coastal cutthroat use large lakes or lagoons like the ocean (such as Lake Earl (Talawa) in California) to attain their largest sizes (W. Duffy, HSU, pers. comm. 2016). Potadromous forms are found in rivers and make seasonal migrations up and down these systems for a variety of reasons. Resident populations are typically found above natural barriers, in small headwater streams (such as Jones Creek, tributary to the S. Fork Smith River). Offspring of fish with one life history can adopt any one of the four life histories (Beuhrens et al 2013). The Smith, Klamath, and Eel rivers in California have both amphidromous populations and resident populations isolated in small streams upstream of barriers (e.g., Little Jones and Tectah creeks). Sea-run cutthroat trout generally make their first migrations at one to two years of age, although they can enter seawater as late as their fifth year (Wilzbach et al. 2016). When multiple forms coexist, temporal and spatial segregation may influence the genetic structure of the population and lead to genetic differentiation within a watershed. Environmental conditions that affect growth rate, such as food availability, water quality and quantity, and temperature influence migratory behavior and residency time (Hindar et al.
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