A couple of quick updates regarding fish.
Last month, the once endangered Gila trout’s cousin, the Apache trout, was removed from the federal endangered and threatened species list, which is worth another cheer from all of us who love the outdoors. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, formerly a New Mexico member of Congress, made the announcement.
Work on preserving the strain had been underway for more than five decades, about as long as efforts had been in place to remove the Gila trout from the endangered list.
The Apache trout’s habitat is in southeastern Arizona, and there are apparently no known populations in New Mexico. The Gila trout is found mostly in the Gila country of southwest New Mexico, but also has been found in populations in southeastern Arizona. The species are very closely related, but slightly different genetically.
The U.S. Department of Interior says at least 30 separate populations of the Apache trout now exist in southeastern Arizona along 175 miles of streams, almost all of those in the White Mountains of that state.
Having seen photos of the Apache trout and having recently caught several Gila trout, I have to say that the Gila trout appears more colorful, with brighter yellows on its fins and body and more colorful spots.
Here’s what I found on the internet describing the differences in appearance:
“Apache trout are similar in coloration to the Gila trout (Oncorhynchus gilae), however, the yellowish coloration is restricted to the ventral region of the Apache trout (Behnke 2002). Additionally, the Apache Trout have larger and fewer spots compared to the Gila Trout.“
So even if they’re not as pretty as the Gila trout, I’m glad the Apache trout has been taken off the endangered list and will continue to be monitored even though anglers can now catch them in their native Arizona.
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And speaking of Gila trout, things are finally underway to start raising a population of that species in a classroom at Stout Elementary School in Silver City next spring. Because the species is currently being raised in only two hatcheries in the state, getting the okay for the Trout Unlimited’s “Trout in the Classroom” project was a little more complicated than starting a similar program using rainbow trout at Ruidoso last spring. If everything goes according to plan, the fish will be hatched in a tank in a classroom in Silver City early next year and will be released as fry in Lake Roberts in late May.
Meanwhile in Ruidoso, plans are underway to start raising the rainbow trout in the classroom at White Mountain Elementary beginning in late October. It’s hoped that the fish will be a little larger than the ones we released into the Rio Ruidoso last May and will have a better chance of survival. We’re virtually certain that all of the fish we released last spring in Two Rivers Park in Ruidoso died during the intense flooding that followed two major forest fires.
I’m really proud that the teachers wanted to do the program again this year, given what a difficult time it has been for everyone in Ruidoso this summer.
I’ve already been to Ruidoso this fall to help the teachers get set up for the program. I’m scheduled to deliver trout eggs to the class on Oct. 18, driving them from Lisboa Springs hatchery near Pecos to Ruidoso on that date.
Although I’m sure this is getting boring from some of my readers, I’m still enthusiastic about the program and hope we can see more of these started in the future.
aero-cordero.com 