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<br />Wyoming has implemented a number of on-going watershed projects (e.g. Little Mountain, Labarge) <br />that focus on entire systems and pennit reconnection of stream populations to enhance <br />metapopulations. Colorado has directed through policy that native cutthroat and their habitat shall <br />be protected from stocking of non-native salmonids and whirling disease. Utah has established a <br />statewide stocking policy which directs that stocking for sportfishing recreation will be consistent <br />with native cutthroat trout conservation programs, goals, and objectives. <br /> <br />Existing headwater habitats that already support wild trout populations are being converted <br />to native trout habitat. Colorado River cutthroat trout reclamation projects started within Rocky <br />Mountain National Park in 1979, and other projects are being completed through reclamation <br />projects funded by GO Colorado Legacy grants (Yampa River) and CUP mitigation grants <br />(Colorado River). Federal land management agencies (FS and BLM) are signatory participants with <br />responsibilities for habitat enhancement in Utah's conservation agreement and strategy for Colorado <br />River cutthroat trout. <br /> <br />B. Overutilization of the species for commercial. recreational. scientific or educational <br />purposes: <br /> <br />Overharvest due to unrestricted angling may pose a threat to populations of this subspecies <br />(Young 1995). Quinlan (1980) and Eiserman (1958) report instances wherein Colorado River <br />cutthroat trout demonstrated an ease of capture by anglers that could be translated into vulnerability <br />to overharvest. Overharvest is not considered a problem. Special regulations specifying catch-and- <br />release, very limited harvest, and terminal tackle restrictions have demonstrated effectiveness in <br />maintaining trout populations in the face of a wide range of fishing pressure, and have been applied <br />as standard to native cutthroat waters in all three states. Location of CRCT populations in remote <br />headwater drainages and small streams with difficult access has had an isolating, protective effect <br />from fishing pressure. The tendency for these populations to be composed largely of small-sized <br />fish has also served to protect these populations from angling pressure. Wyoming has closed some <br />cutthroat waters to fishing to prevent excessive angler harvest. The National Park Service has closed <br />four waters to fishing to protect broodstocks, small populations, and spawning fish. The Colorado <br />Division of Wildlife is considering expanding the use of closures to protect important conservation <br />populations of native cutthroat trout (Krieger et ale 1998). Monitoring of wild native cutthroat trout <br />populations that support fisheries is a continuous process in all three states. <br /> <br />C. Disease or predation: <br /> <br />Cutthroat trout are susceptible to common salmonid diseases, including whirling disease <br />(WD). WD is caused by the myxosporeanMyxobolus cerebralis (Markiw 1992). Colorado River <br />cutthroat trout exposed to M cerebralis in the wild in sentinel fish experiments suffered <br />significantly greater mortality from the infection than most other non-native salmonids (Nehring <br />1998). Very little is known about other diseases and parasites of this subspecies. Young (1995) <br />found that cutthroat may not avoid predators as well as some other salmonids. <br /> <br />Transmission of diseases to wild cutthroat populations through hatchery-based fish stocking is <br /> <br />March 1999 <br /> <br />16 <br />