Apache trout
Encyclopedia
The Apache trout or Arizona trout, Oncorhynchus gilae apache, is a species
of freshwater
fish
in the salmon
family
(family Salmonidae
) of order
Salmoniformes. It is one of the trout
s.
and tail fins. The top of its head and back are dark olive in color, and it has the appearance of having a black stripe/mask through each of its eyes, due to two small black dots on either side of the pupil. There is a cutthroat
mark below the lower jaw, ranging in color from yellow to gold.
, and is one of only two species of trout
native to that state, with the other being the gila trout
(O. g. gilae). It natively lives in clear, cool streams in the White Mountains
that flow through coniferous forests and marsh
es, but has been introduced into several lakes in the area. The Apache trout is native to the upper Salt River watershed (Black and White Rivers) and the upper Little Colorado River watershed. Apache trout have been introduced into isolated streams outside of their historic range in the Pinaleno Mountains, Mount Graham and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The Apache trout eats both terrestrial and aquatic insect
s, such as Trichoptera
and Diptera
. In lakes, they also eat small fishes and zooplankton
.
While the IUCN considers the Apache trout to be critically endangered
, it is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
. Around 100 years ago, they could be found in 600 miles (965.6 km) of streams in the White Mountains. By the late 1960s, their range had been reduced to around 30 miles (48.3 km) of these streams. Once the Endangered Species Act of 1969 was passed, they became one of the first species listed under it. When this act was replaced by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, they became one of the first fish species protected under the newer Act. Population numbers for this species are still rising.
Today, the main risk to the Apache trout is its easy hybridization with the rainbow trout
. Populations that are considered to be genetically contaminated
(containing hybrids) are exterminated. Cutthroat trout
are also genetically similar and cross-breed with Apache trout, compromising the genetic purity of each species. The range of the Apache trout remains limited, which puts it at risk, but it is now common enough that limited fishing is permitted.
Many of the Mount Baldy headwater streams that are the stronghold of Apache trout are entirely closed to fishing. Catch and release fishing opportunities for wild (stream born), pure-strain Apache trout exist in a limited number of areas. Additionally, there are numerous consumptive fishing opportunities for Apache trout in waters where natural reproduction isn't occurring and the Apache trout population is the result of stocking efforts.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(family Salmonidae
Salmonidae
Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish, the only living family currently placed in the order Salmoniformes. It includes salmon, trout, chars, freshwater whitefishes and graylings...
) of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Salmoniformes. It is one of the trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
s.
Description
The Apache trout measures in length from 6 to 24 inches (61 cm), and weighs between 6 ounces and 6 pounds (2.7 kg). It rarely exceeds 25 cm, but can reach up to 40 cm in its native, headwater streams. The world record Apache trout measured 60.96 cm (24 in) and was caught in Hurricane Lake in 1993. Apache trout are a yellowish-gold color with a golden belly and have medium-sized dark spots that are evenly spaced and that may extend below the lateral line and onto the dorsalDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
and tail fins. The top of its head and back are dark olive in color, and it has the appearance of having a black stripe/mask through each of its eyes, due to two small black dots on either side of the pupil. There is a cutthroat
Cutthroat
Cutthroat is a three-player pocket billiards game, played on a pool table using cue sticks. Each player is assigned a set of numbered balls. The object is to be the last player with at least one ball still on the table...
mark below the lower jaw, ranging in color from yellow to gold.
Distribution
The Apache trout is the state fish of ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and is one of only two species of trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
native to that state, with the other being the gila trout
Gila trout
The gila trout is one of two subspecies of trout in O. gilae, the other being the Apache trout . Both are native to the Southwest United States. The gila trout is a species of salmonid, related to the rainbow and cutthroat trouts. The Gila trout has been considered endangered with extinction....
(O. g. gilae). It natively lives in clear, cool streams in the White Mountains
White Mountains (Arizona)
The White Mountains of Arizona are a mountain range and mountainous region in the eastern part of the state, near the border with New Mexico; it is a continuation from the west of the Arizona transition zone–Mogollon Rim, with the Rim ending in western New Mexico...
that flow through coniferous forests and marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, but has been introduced into several lakes in the area. The Apache trout is native to the upper Salt River watershed (Black and White Rivers) and the upper Little Colorado River watershed. Apache trout have been introduced into isolated streams outside of their historic range in the Pinaleno Mountains, Mount Graham and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Life history
The Apache trout spawns from March to the middle of June, and varies with elevations. Maturity was found to occur in three years, and fecundity is based on the size of trout. One female typically produces from 72 to 240 eggs in 13.1 to 19.1 cm (5.2 to 7.5 in.) fish and from 646 to 1,083 eggs in 29.8 to 34.9 cm (11.7 to 13.7 in.) fish. The eggs hatch after 30 days.The Apache trout eats both terrestrial and aquatic insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, such as Trichoptera
Trichoptera
The caddisflies are an order, Trichoptera, of insects with approximately 12,000 described species. Also called sedge-flies or rail-flies, they are small moth-like insects having two pairs of hairy membranous wings...
and Diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
. In lakes, they also eat small fishes and zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
.
Conservation
Recovery and management efforts for Apache trout have been ongoing since the 1940s. Apache trout are raised in Federal and state hatcheries, and reared fish have been used to assist with recovery and to maintain populations for sport fishing in certain streams and reservoirs.While the IUCN considers the Apache trout to be critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
, it is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
. Around 100 years ago, they could be found in 600 miles (965.6 km) of streams in the White Mountains. By the late 1960s, their range had been reduced to around 30 miles (48.3 km) of these streams. Once the Endangered Species Act of 1969 was passed, they became one of the first species listed under it. When this act was replaced by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, they became one of the first fish species protected under the newer Act. Population numbers for this species are still rising.
Today, the main risk to the Apache trout is its easy hybridization with the rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
. Populations that are considered to be genetically contaminated
Genetic pollution
Genetic pollution is a controversial term for uncontrolled gene flow into wild populations. This gene flow is undesirable according to some environmentalists and conservationists, including groups such as Greenpeace, TRAFFIC, and GeneWatch UK.-Usage:...
(containing hybrids) are exterminated. Cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...
are also genetically similar and cross-breed with Apache trout, compromising the genetic purity of each species. The range of the Apache trout remains limited, which puts it at risk, but it is now common enough that limited fishing is permitted.
Many of the Mount Baldy headwater streams that are the stronghold of Apache trout are entirely closed to fishing. Catch and release fishing opportunities for wild (stream born), pure-strain Apache trout exist in a limited number of areas. Additionally, there are numerous consumptive fishing opportunities for Apache trout in waters where natural reproduction isn't occurring and the Apache trout population is the result of stocking efforts.