Official state fish of Arizona is first game fish recovered under ESA
Arizona received some good news this week. After 57 years, the Apache trout has recovered to the point that it no longer needs protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The Apache trout was originally thought to be the same species as the Gila trout and was listed under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, one year after that act became law. The Apache trout was recognized as its own species, separate from the Gila in 1972. The following year Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (the “ESA”), and the Apache trout was listed as an endangered species. It was downlisted to a threatened species in 1975, where it has remained ever since.
The Apache trout is native exclusively to the streams around the White Mountain region in Eastern Arizona. It and the Gila trout are the only two species of trout that are native to Arizona. And it became the state fish in 1986.
The original threats to the Apache trout were habitat degradation and the introduction of other non-native trout species, which preyed on the Apache trout and competed with it for resources. The Apache’s gene pool was also limited due to hybridization with the non-native trout species.
Half a century of conservation work has turned that around. The non-native trout species have been removed from the Apache’s native streams, and barriers have been put in place to keep them from reentering. Outdated barriers have also been removed from the Apache’s native streams, connecting what was formerly fragmented habitat, and increasing breeding opportunities and genetic diversity. And Apache trout raised in hatcheries have been introduced into the wild.
With those threats gone and a healthy number of fish reintroduced, the Apache trout has been removed from the list of threatened species. And it now holds a place in history as the first game fish to recover and be removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the ESA.
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