AZFRO Coordinates Fish Stocking in Support of Tribal Recreational Fishing Programs
AZFRO, in cooperation with Alchesay-Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery Complex and Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, coordinated and assisted with the stocking of approximately 126,994 native Apache trout, 112,700 brook trout, 82,600 brown trout, 8,500 cutthroat trout, 679,180 rainbow trout, 5,000 largemouth bass, and 35,000 channel catfish into waters located on 8 Indian Reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Tribal recreational fishing programs generate a significant amount of revenue from the sale of fishing, boating, and camping permits. Back to Top
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AZFRO Works with Tribe to Develop a San Carlos Apache Tribe Fish Management Plan
AZFRO completed and submitted a draft San Carlos Fish Management to the San Carlos Apache Tribe's, Recreation and Wildlife Department. The Fish Management Plan identifies goals, objectives, and actions necessary for the continued conservation and management of recreational sport fisheries and native, threatened, and endangered fish located on the reservation. The completion of this 5-year Fish Management Plan is a cooperative effort between AZFRO, San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Back to Top Back to Focus Areas
AZFRO Assists Tribe in Developing an Angler Creel Survey
AZFRO assisted the White Mountain Apache Tribe, Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division with the development of an angler creel survey to begin quantifying angler use, success, and harvest rates on recreational fishing lakes located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The White Mountain Apache Tribe's recreational fishing program generates a substantial source of revenue from the sale of fishing, boating, and camping permits, while at the same time providing anglers with an opportunity to catch trophy rainbow, brown, and Apache trout. In fact, the AZ state record brown trout (23 lbs, 36 in) was caught from Reservation Lake located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Back to Top Back to Focus Areas
AZFRO Assists with Surveys of Fort Apache Indian Reservation Lakes
AZFRO and White Mountain Apache Tribe, Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division personnel completed spring surveys of 5 high-elevation trout lakes located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to evaluate the fish community found within each lake and where feasible, develop recommendations for future management of each species found within. Each lake is stocked with varying combinations of trout species and managed as put-and-take, put-grow-and-take, and/or “trophy” catch and release depending upon lake-specific management goals. Back to Top Back to Focus Areas
AZFRO Assists with Surveys of Navajo Nation Lakes and Streams
AZFRO assisted the Navajo Department of Fish and Wildlife in collecting baseline fishery data on several lakes and streams located on the Navajo Nation. In addition to collecting baseline data, AZFRO compared and contrasted differences among the lakes and streams sampled to assist the Tribe in developing lake/stream-specific recommendations for future management. While the lakes on the Navajo Nation support non-native recreational fishing programs, the streams are home to native bluehead sucker and speckled dace. Back to Top Back to Focus Areas
Estimates of Survival and Growth of Different Strains and Sizes of Stocked Trout Completed
AZFRO completed the collection and analyses of data pertaining to the evaluation of overwinter survival and growth of different strains and sizes (sub-catchable vs. catchable) of stocked rainbow and brown trout in an effort to determine the most cost-effective means of providing a recreational trout fishery (put-and-take vs. put-grow-take). Approximately 22,000 trout were fin clipped prior to stocking thanks to the assistance of personnel from the Alchesay-Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery Complex. After stocking in late-fall, monthly sampling to recapture marked fish began. Based on changes in total length and number of fish captured during each survey, monthly growth and survival rates were calculated for each size and strain of fish stocked. Back to Top Back to Focus Areas
San Carlos Lake Sport Fishery Assessment Completed
San Carlos Lake , located on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, is known for its ability to produce state-record, trophy largemouth bass and black crappie. AZFRO, with help from San Carlos Recreation & Wildlife Department Game Rangers, conducted three nights of electrofishing surveys on San Carlos Lake and collected over 1,000 largemouth bass and over 100 black crappie. Results of the survey indicate that the largemouth bass population is “balanced” based on good proportions of both small (young) and large (old) bass being collected. Similar to the largemouth bass population, the population of black crappie is considered “balanced.” Back to Top Back to Focus Areas
Creek National Fish Hatchery Complex and Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, coordinated and assisted with the stocking of approximately 126,994 native Apache trout, 112,700 brook trout, 82,600 brown trout, 8,500 cutthroat trout, 679,180 rainbow trout, 5,000 largemouth bass, and 35,000 channel catfish into waters located on 8 Indian Reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Tribal recreational fishing programs generate a significant amount of revenue from the sale of fishing, boating, and camping permits. 
AZFRO completed and submitted a draft San Carlos Fish Management to the San Carlos Apache Tribe's, Recreation and Wildlife Department. The Fish Management Plan identifies goals, objectives, and actions necessary for the continued conservation and management of recreational sport fisheries and native, threatened, and endangered fish located on the reservation. The completion of this 5-year Fish Management Plan is a cooperative effort between AZFRO, San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
The White Mountain Apache Tribe's recreational fishing program generates a substantial source of revenue from the sale of fishing, boating, and camping permits, while at the same time providing anglers with an opportunity to catch trophy rainbow, brown, and Apache trout. In fact, the AZ state record brown trout (23 lbs, 36 in) was caught from Reservation Lake located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. 
AZFRO assisted the Navajo Department of Fish and Wildlife in collecting baseline fishery data on several lakes and streams located on the Navajo Nation. In addition to collecting baseline data, AZFRO compared and contrasted differences among the lakes and streams sampled to assist the Tribe in developing lake/stream-specific recommendations for future management. While the lakes on the Navajo Nation support non-native recreational fishing programs, the streams are home to native bluehead sucker and speckled dace. 
Approximately 22,000 trout were fin clipped prior to stocking thanks to the assistance of personnel from the Alchesay-Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery Complex. After stocking in late-fall, monthly sampling to recapture marked fish began. Based on changes in total length and number of fish captured during each survey, monthly growth and survival rates were calculated for each size and strain of fish stocked.