The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that Gila trout, a fish native to the clear, cold mountain streams of southernNew Mexico and east-central Arizona , has improved from endangered to threatened status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, effective August 17. Included in this change is a special rule allowing the state fish and wildlife agencies to develop limited recreational fishing.
The Service's final rule reclassifies Gila trout as threatened and allows the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the Arizona Game and Fish Department to promulgate regulations with the Service to allow opportunities for recreational fishing of Gila trout in areas that will not hurt recovery of the species.
The fish was first declared endangered in 1966 under the predecessor to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and came under the protection of the ESA when it was passed in 1973.
Endangered species are those that are in peril of becoming extinct throughout all or a significant portion of their range. A threatened species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. The Service may treat threatened and endangered species the same with regard to prohibitions on take and requirements for consultation. However, a threatened designation allows greater management flexibility to permit activities such as fishing that may have a limited impact on the species. A threatened designation recognizes that the fish has benefited from recovery efforts that have successfully reduced the threat of immediate extinction.
"Gila trout have struggled to survive in the face of competition from non-native fish, hybridization, habitat degradation and other pressures," said Dr. Benjamin N. Tuggle, acting director of the Service's Southwest Region. "Many groups have worked together to reduce the threats and secure a better future for this native."
Through recovery efforts in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and New Mexico State University, population numbers of Gila trout have increased from four populations at the time of listing to twelve populations today.
Over the years, the Service and other Federal, State and Tribal agencies and organizations have also enhanced more than 60 stream miles for Gila trout. Restoring streams can include purging non-native, predatory fish and installing barriers to keep them out in the future. Other protective measures include raising Gila trout in hatcheries and paying close attention to genetics so the historic strains of trout are maintained, which helps maintain healthy genetic diversity.
Catastrophic wildfires are another threat that has been diminished. Wildfires blazing out of control can leave high-elevation mountainsides devoid of vegetation that would otherwise catch the ash and other pollutants before they can enter a stream. While fires are still a threat to isolated populations, the risks have been greatly reduced by rescuing fish and returning them once conditions have stabilized. Populations are geographically separated, which helps ensure that one fire would not affect all populations. Good timber management practices have also helped reduce the chances of wildfires.
It has been more than five decades since an angler has caught a Gila trout at the end of a fishing line. The special fishing rule would allow for very limited fishing under certain conditions that would not deter recovery efforts. Fishing could be allowed in areas that have stable or increasing trout numbers or in waters not involved in recovery efforts. Before angling is allowed, the state agencies will need to assess the streams and promulgate fishing regulations. No specific timeframe has been established.
"As a fisherman, I know that anglers come to appreciate a species the more they fish for it and get to know what makes it special," said Tuggle. "Sometimes the more we know about an animal, the more we care about its future."
Gila trout are identifiable by iridescent gold sides that blend to a darker shade of copper above a white belly. The faint, salmon-pink band that runs horizontally along its side in adults becomes more pronounced during the spawning season. Spawning occurs in the spring. When adult, the fish are seven to eight inches in length.
The final rule will be published in the Federal Register and on the internet at http://www.fws.gov/ifw2es/Mexico/ on July 18. Copies can be requested by calling 800-299-0196 or writing to USFWS, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 ; Osuna NE , Albuquerque , New Mexico , 87113 .
Visit the Service's website at http://www.fws.gov.
