Coastal Cutthroat Trout Conservation Planning: Coordinating Partnerships, Knowledge and Needs

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently coordinating the development of a range-wide conservation plan for coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii).  While this subspecies is not federally listed as threatened or endangered, coastal cutthroat trout are considered sensitive by other agencies and face many threats including logging, over-harvest, fish passage issues, and habitat degradation.  The goal of this multi-agency conservation plan is to improve the status and viability of coastal cutthroat trout throughout its range and establish a framework for the restoration, adaptation, and continued persistence of populations throughout historic and future ranges.  Plan development will result in the establishment of partnerships; an increased knowledge of coastal cutthroat trout distribution, biology, and threats; and the identification of ongoing and needed research, monitoring, and conservation needs.  The conservation planning team will start the planning process by gathering regional data from local agencies, organizations, and biologists regarding distribution, abundance, trends and connectivity at the watershed level.  During the data collection process, information will also be gathered regarding local threats, existing conservation actions or plans, and identified conservation needs.  Next, the NatureServe approach will be used to rank watersheds by relative risk so that conservation actions can be identified, prioritized, and coordinated among groups that are working towards improving the status of coastal cutthroat trout.  Completion of the conservation plan will result in an enhanced knowledge of coastal cutthroat trout habitat requirements and threats, and identify and implement a strategy for population restoration.