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The Gila Trout Is Native to the Headwaters of the Gila River And

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The Gila Trout Is Native to the Headwaters of the Gila River And This beautiful native trout is still listed WHAT IS A NATIVE TROUT? opportunities for others. As the human as "endangered with extinction". population grew, the more accessable However, recent efforts by the New Millions of sportsmen thrill at the sight streams became depleted of native Mexico Department of Game & Fish, New of a leaping rainbow trout, nervously trout and thoughts turned towards Mexico State University, U.S. Forest anticipate the strike of a wary brown, or restoring them to many overfished Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife marvel at the colorful beauty of a brook areas. State and Federal agencies began Service have expanded its range. This trout fresh from a high mountain lake building hatcheries to supply trout in GILA TROUT will allow its classification to be changed or stream. Naturally reproducing their early fish culture programs. from endangered to threatened. populations of these trout, particularly However, they soon discovered that Management goals include the when caught in remote, back country other species which had been cultured GILA TROUT continued renewal of populations within waters are often referred to as "natives". for many years in more populated areas its historic range and the eventual Many fishermen are surprised to learn The Gila trout is native to the of the United States were readily headwaters of the Gila River and removal of the Gila trout from that these fish were not originally found available and had been domesticated to in New Mexico or Arizona, but are occupies several small streams in the protected status so that it may be a point that enabled them to be more Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas managed as a sport fish. actually a product of early introductions, easily produced than "wild" natives. dating back to the late 1800's. The of southwestern New Mexico. Prior to Rainbow, brook, brown, and cutthroat the 1900's this trout was found rainbow trout was first taken from trout became the preferred hatchery streams on the west slope of the Sierra throughout the Gila River system, but by stocks and were used to replace the 1960's the species was reduced to Nevada Mountains in northern California dwindling populations of native trout. and used in some of the earliest trout less than five percent of its former These foreign trout adapted well to the range. As a result, the Gila trout was culture programs. Brook trout originally coldwater streams of the southwest inhabited southeastern Canada and the listed as "endangered with extinction" mountains and began to compete with and offered full federal and state eastern United States south to the native trout for available food. Appalachian Mountains. Brown trout protection under the Endangered have been widely introduced into the Species Act of 1973 and the New Mexico United States from Europe. Several Wildlife Conservation Act of 1975. APACHE TROUT subspecies of cutthroat trout from Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming have also In some cases they also interbred with A distinctive feature of the Gila trout is found their way into southwestern natives and thus destroyed existing pure APACHE TROUT waters. populations through hybridization. the dense pattern of rather small, Changing land uses in the form of irregularly-shaped spots, located mainly The Apache trout, native to the upper grazing, timber harvest, mining, and on the upper portion of the body. The tributaries of the Salt and Little A native trout is a species that naturally other intrusions by man decreased the male is more brightly colored than the Colorado Rivers, inhabits several small occupies a lake or stream without help water quality of streams and made it female and exhibits an iridescent gold streams primarily on the Apache- from man. In many cases they are a difficult for native trout to naturally coloration on the sides, blending to an Sitegraves National Forest and Ft. result of sea run trout which migrated reproduce. Foreign trout, which were olive-green on the upper body. A faint Apache Indian Reservation in east up river systems, became landlocked, being cultured and stocked by the pink band may be present along the central Arizona. By the mid-1900's, and evolved over thousands of years. millions, depended less on natural sides of adults. Fins are tipped with populations had been so drastically reproduction. This series of events soon yellow and white and a yellow cutthroat reduced that the original distribution of led to the near extinction of native mark is present in the folds of skin this trout was impossible to determine trout in many waters. By the middle of beneath the lower jaw. with certainty. The Apache trout was the twentieth century, biologists originally listed as "endangered with extinction" in 1967; however, in order to WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR became alarmed at the few remaining Gila trout are not all small fish, but grow NATIVE TROUT? populations and began surveys to assess simplify management and restoration at a rate equal to the availability of efforts, the status was changed to the status of these fish. In many cases food. When placed in waters with Early settlers entering the mountain they found that the only remaining "threatened" in 1975. regions of New Mexico and east central adequate food and space. Gila trout can pure populations were located in grow to 13-14 inches and have the Arizona found streams teeming with remote headwaters where natural water The basic coloration of the Apache trout native trout. They quickly became an potential to reach 16 to 20 inches or is similar to the Gila trout, with falls served as barriers to upstream more in length. The largest known fish important food source to some, while migration of foreign trout. iridescent gold on the sides and gill providing enjoyable sportfishing was 21.75 inches long. covers blending to olive-green on the top. Small, more uniformly rounded spots are sparse on the front part of NATIVE TROUT the body, but increase in density towards the tail. Spots located toward OF the front typically exhibit a light halo surrounding the spot. The light pink band which appears on the Gila trout is ARIZONA absent in the Apache trout; however, RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT the yellow cutthroat mark and white or AND yellow tipped fins are common to both. Interestingly, the Apache trout displays may also have inhabited mountain NEW MEXICO the largest dorsal and adipose fins of tributaries of the Rio Grande in Texas any American trout. and Mexico. The trout was recognized as a species of special concern, but was never afforded the full protection of Apache trout occupying small, high U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service elevation streams tend to be small. the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Females average 9 to 10 inches and P.O. Box 1306 males may reach 12 to 14 inches in The Rio Grande Cutthroat is not 500 Gold Avenue length. These trout however, as with Gila distinctly different in appearance from Albuquerque, NM 87103 trout, have potential for much greater several other subspecies of Cutthroat growth in larger, warmer waters. The trout. Spots are large and pronounced current Arizona state record is 3 lbs. 10 on the tail and become sparse to absent on the upper forward region of the ozs. but several being held for fish 1 body. The Rio Grande Cutthroat is a FISH & WILDLIFE cultural research have exceeded four SERVICE pounds in less than three years. more colorful trout than either the Apache or Gila, displaying light rose to This colorful and unique native trout is red-orange pastel hues on the sides to still listed as "threatened". Efforts by the pink or yellowish orange underneath. .White Mountain Apache Tribe, U.S. Forest Colors are brighter on adult fish, Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and particularly males during breeding. The the Arizona Game & Fish Department lower fins are usually tinted with orange or red and a distinct red or orange TAKE may soon allow the Apache trout to be NU IN removed from the list of "threatened" cutthroat mark is present. AMBOCA or "endangered species". Current management goals include restoring 30 While the Rio Grande Cutthroat populations to their historic streams. A continues to be a species of special successful hatchery rearing program at concern, successful restoration Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery programs in New Mexico and Colorado will also aid in improving the status of now account for approximately 90 Region 2 1987 the Apache trout to an important populations of this native trout, most of southwestern gamefish. which are open to controlled sport fishing. This native exhibits traits which make it popular with most anglers. It is well established that the Rio Grande Cutthroat is one of the easiest of all RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT trout to catch and there have been reports of this subspecies reaching 24 to The Rio Grande Cutthroat trout is native 30 inches in length. Management efforts to headwater streams of the Rio Grande by State and Federal agencies will and Pecos Rivers in northern New continue to insure the Rio Grande Mexico and southern Colorado. Cutthroat trout may be enjoyed by Unverified nineteenth century reports generations to come. lead one to suspect that the species .
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