7994

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7994
• Author: Duff, D. A., Tech. Ed.
• Title: Conservation Assessment For Inland Cutthroat Trout, Distribution, Status and Habitat Management Implications.
• USFW Year: 1996.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

grams to recover indigenous trout, enhance wildtrout fisheries, and operate hatcheries
for recreational fishing waters. Assessments linked to conservation strategies and plans
will help both state and federal agencies to work as partners in joint fisheries and habitat
management programs (URMCC 1995).

3. Habitat protection through agency stewardship and decision making is essential to
maintain existing populations in occupied habitats. Since streams follow no .political.
boundary, agencies need to coordinate basin-wide strategies and programs. An eco-
system approach must be taken to protect and maintain aquatic biodiversity and viable
populations. Interstate, as well as in-state agency coordination is necessary, as is
agency accountability in decision-making. Since most existing BCT populations are
found in small, headwater streams on National Forests, including wilderness and road-
less areas, it is incumbent on the Forest Service to judiciously restrict land use activities
that may pose habitat disruption and loss, or tend to place the populations further at
risk. Protection of BCT populations in the future will primarily be dependent on federal
agency management for healthy aquatic ecosystems, i.e. stable watershed soils, rooted
terrestrial and riparian vegetation, and clean water (quality and quantity).

4. Regulatory mechanisms need to be employed where necessary, to ensure population
protection and genetic integrity. Stream closures, total or partial, as well as harvest
regulations as developed by the States need to be considered and implemented, where
necessary. Both population and habitat specific area relationships need to be reviewed
and jointly agreed upon by state and federal managers. This will ensure BCT protection,
especially where access, facilities, and user pressure are viewed as possible risks to the
subspecies.

B) ENHANCEMENT

Agency emphasis should be toward providing management activities and decisions that provide
habitat enhancement so as to ensure long-term maintenance of reliable pure populations. Conserva-
tion enhancement should require maintenance of multiple local or sub-basin populations. Overall
ecosystem sub-basin health is important to proper aquatic ecosystem function and processes. Any
activities which allow habitat disruption and/or fragmentation that threatens the diversity, stability, and
persistence of pure populations should not be allowed. Management decisions made on the basis
of phylogeographic interpretation of extant patterns of biological diversity will both promote and
protect natural processes which have and will continue to mold the genetics of pure cutthroat
populations.

1. Within each geographic area, or major sub-basin occupied by pure populations repre-
sentative core areas should be selected to provide long-term healthy habitats and
strong populations. The highest priority areas for providing critical components in
aquatic ecosystems would be either wilderness and roadless areas, followed by remote,
limited activity areas so as not to compromise the pure population. Areas so designated
would provide a cornerstone for maintaining the biological diversity of the sub-basin
ecosystem. Such areas could be designated as genetic reserves or preserves and
incorporated within Forest Plans as special interest areas (SIA's), i.e. Zoological, or
research natural areas (RNA's).

2. Maintenance of pure populations, within sub-basins may require removal of non-native
or exotic species which threaten or place at risk the continued existence of the cutthroat
trout. This may be necessary within the sub-basins in which pure populations occupy

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