However, the Service is asking the public to submit any new information that becomes available concerning the status of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout at any time. They are pursued in New Mexico and Colorado on the Rio Grande, Pecos, and Canadian Rivers, as well as in the Guadalupe and Davis Mountains of Texas. Blueheads and Bonnevilles – Weber River, Utah, Rio Grande Cutthroat Species Status Report, 2013 Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Conservation Agreement. 0000027182 00000 n SPECIES SUMMARY . Climate change may exacerbate this risk factor as warmer waters may make high elevation habitats more susceptible to invasion by rainbow trout. 0000029736 00000 n Click here to watch a short video produced by WNTI featuring Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in southern Colorado. 0000007485 00000 n 0000006064 00000 n Today the southernmost known populations are found on the eastern flank… U.S. 0000030050 00000 n Rio Grande Cutthroat occupy just over 10% of their native range and are primarily confined to high elevation streams. READ MORE about New Mexico Game and Fish Department’s efforts to conserve Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. Brook, Brown, Rainbow, Native Cutthroat Trout and Kokanee Salmon can all be found in these waters. As required by law, the Service revisited the decision to list the Trout five years later, and in 2014, the Service changed its mind again, finding that the Trout no longer warranted listing. 0000006182 00000 n ©2019 Western Native Trout Initiative. 0000004524 00000 n The Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis is the southernmost subspecies of Cutthroat Trout, and as with the other subspecies, stream temperature regulates growth, reproductive success, distribution, and survival. 0000027522 00000 n The Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) historically occupied in various cool streams throughout the Rio Grande Watershed, including the Chama, Jemez Rio San Jose, the Pecos, and Canadian drainages.Today, they currently live in only about 100 headwater streams in Colorado and New Mexico (10 percent of their former range). The Rio Grande Cutthroat has officially been designated as the New Mexico State Fish. Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Range-wide Conservation Team . %%EOF In Trout and Salmon of … Historically, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) occupied all cool waters in the Rio Grande drainage including the Chama, Jemez, and Rio San Jose drainages, along with suitable waters of the Pecos and Canadian drainages. Both of the photos below are of Lake Fork Conejos Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. Historically, Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout occupied all cool waters in the Rio Grande drainage, including the Chama, Jemez and Rio San Jose drainages, along with suitable waters of the Pecos and Canadian drainages. <]/Prev 1108539/XRefStm 1374>> It was listed as "threatened" in Colorado until 1985 when successful recovery efforts enabled delisting (Trotter, 1987). The historic range of Rio Grande cutthroat trout has been reduced over the last 150 years due to many landscape changes, including drought, water infrastructure, habitat changes, hybridization with rainbow trout and other species of cutthroat trout, and competition from brown trout and brook trout. 0000000875 00000 n However due to the loss of populations across t… Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) is one of three recognized subspecies of native trout found in Colorado, and is the southernmost subspecies of cutthroat trout. 0000024128 00000 n The cutthroat subspecies persists in only 10 percent of its natural range: the upper Rio Grande basin, the upper Pecos, and the furthest reaches of small Canadian River tributaries. Therefore, the Service will remove this subspecies from the candidate list. Photos courtesy of Kevin Terry. An understanding of the upper thermal tolerance of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout is important for developing water temperature standards and … For more than 20 years, agency biologists have been searching for Rio Grande cutthroat trout populations, studying their habitat, and restoring the species to streams. 0000003797 00000 n All rights reserved. They currently live in only about 100 headwater streams, occupying 10 percent of their former range. *)i4�\W�c2 All documented US populations . Those familiar with nature know that wildlife tend to care little for human boundaries. Native range: Northern New Mexico/Southern Colorado. Abstract. Rio Grande cutthroat trout thrive in clear, cold, high-altitude streams. Rev. 0000030399 00000 n After review of the best available scientific and commercial information, the U.S. h���A 0ð4`�z\Gcw��������z�C. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout was likely the first New World trout to be seen by early American explorers. 0000006799 00000 n Like cutthroat trout in general, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout is now rare throughout its native range (Behnke, 1979; Sublette et al., 1990). Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) found that listing the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted at this time. Much of the trout’s natural habitat has been harmed by livestock overgrazing, recreational activities and vegetation limitations in the riparian areas of water sheds. The current range of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, in red, is about 10% of its historic range, in blue. The photos below are Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. Historically, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) occupied all cool waters in the Rio Grande drainage including the Chama, Jemez, and Rio San Jose drainages, along with suitable waters of the Pecos and Canadian drainages. However, due to the loss of populations across their native range and reports of Rio Grande cutthroat in Mexico and Texas, it is unclear how far south this trout once occurred. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout is one of two native species of trout found in New Mexico (The other native New Mexico trout specie we have is the Gila Trout which is only found in southern part of the state). Rio Grande cutthroat trout: O. c. virginalis (Girard, 1856) Native to New Mexico and southern Colorado. Contents. Rio Grande cutthroat trout are a strand representing the southern end of the cutthroat species. READ MORE more about Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s efforts to conserve Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. Rio Grande cutthroat trout Greenback cutthroat trout: O. c. stomias (Cope, 1871) Native to the Arkansas and South Platte River headwaters on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado; it is designated as threatened (1978). The historic range of Rio Grande cutthroat trout has been reduced over the last 150 years due to many changes on the landscape, including: drought, water infrastructure, habitat changes, hydraulic changes, hybridization with rainbow trout and other species of cutthroat trout, and competition with brown trout and brook trout. This data set characterizes the thermal regime in a number of Colorado and New Mexico streams that contain populations of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) or have been considered potential restoration areas for the fish. 0000001374 00000 n Adults grow up to 12-13 inches long. 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