By Edward R. Ricciuti.

When Robert Woods of Flagstaff walked into his hometown office of the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) February 28 with a 19 1/4-inch, 3.35-pound yellow-headed trout, he not only set a state fishing record but dramatized how species can be brought back from the brink of extinction.  Not just brought back, but reestablished so they can be used by people in a sustainable manner for recreation and even economic improvement.

Woods’ trout, caught in the Frye Mesa Reservoir near Safford, was, according to the department, “The historic first-ever Gila trout record in Arizona.”  On February 4, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission established the first season on native Gila trout at the reservoir.  The announcement followed a successful campaign to reestablish fishable numbers of Gila trout in the state.  New Mexico had already started a limited season after the trout was downlisted from “endangered” to “threatened” by the United States Department of the Interior in 2006.  The trout, native only to the headwaters of the Gila River Basin in Arizona and New Mexico, was well on its way to extinction when it was first described, only in the 1950s.

While once it was found in more than 600 miles of streams in New Mexico alone, the Gila trout’s range dropped to about 20 miles of four streams by 1973, when it was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.  The population numbered only in the few thousands.  “The populations in Arizona,” according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), “were eliminated a long time ago when non-native trout [such as rainbows] were introduced.”  The newcomers interbred with the Gila trout, leaving no pure Gila fish.  Habitat destruction was perhaps the most dangerous threat.  Mining, ranching, logging and forest fires sparked erosion that silted trout waters, a strong current to swim against.

The Gila trout’s situation is not unique.  The United States Department of the Interior lists 139 fish in the United States as threatened or endangered.  Many, like the Gila trout, are endemic to small areas or highly specific habitats, making them especially vulnerable.  Desert fish, such as the Devil’s Hole pupfish of Death Valley, are notable among these fish.

Recovery of the nation’s only endangered trout in Arizona and New Mexico provides an example of how federal and state agencies, together with conservation-minded sportsmen, can partner to store an imperiled creature.  Streams were protected and fish were relocated, transplanted, removed for breeding at the Mora National Fish Hatchery in New Mexico, then restored to streams.

The effort to restart Gila trout fishing in Arizona was undertaken by USFWS, the United States Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish.  Trout Unlimited, a non-profit organization of anglers dedicated to establishing healthy populations of native trout in their historic waters, played a major role in the effort.  “Trout Unlimited has been involved since the inception of the project,” said Jason Kline, fisheries specialist with Arizona Game and Fish.

USFWS used nearly $140,000 in funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to stock Gila trout in Frye Creek and Frye Mesa Reservoir and to conduct trout restoration in Ash and Marijilda creeks in the Pinaleno Mountains.  The mountains lie within the Coronado National Forest.  The act, signed by President Obama in 2009, is designed to fund projects that stimulate the economy.  Three billion dollars went to the Department of the Interior under the act.  According to USFWS, recreational fishing for Gila trout “could provide an economic boost to nearby communities.  An economic impact study conducted by the Service shows that per fishing trip, resident anglers spend about $72 and non-resident anglers spend about $116.”

Getting trout from the New Mexico hatchery to high-elevation waters in Arizona, at altitudes of 6,000 to 10,000 feet, is an intricate process involving more than 40 workers.  At the hatchery, fish are loaded into 55-gallon transport barrels with oxygen tanks to aerate the water.  The barrels are then trucked to Arizona and then flown up into the high country by Papillon helicopters.  There, the barrels meet up with stocking team members who have hiked their way up the slopes.  From that point, lots of muscle is involved.  Workers transfer the fish to five-gallon buckets, which are lugged to stocking sites.

Although streams have been stocked, the reservoir is presently the only place where fishing is allowed.  “It is so amazing to think that the Gila trout was nearly extinct 50 years ago, but here we are now where fishermen can once again fish for the native species,” said Raul Vega, AZGFD regional supervisor.

The publicity given to the Gila trout restoration and reopening of fishing seasons may help endangered fish in general.  Conservationists have long been concerned that imperiled fish do not receive the attention given to more glamorous species, such as the California condor and the whooping crane.  Many fish in trouble, like the Gila trout, are so local they do not receive widespread attention.  Along with the Southeastern states, the Southwest has a great number of fish with extremely localized ranges and populations.  One reason is that these areas were spared the havoc on fish wrought by the glaciations of the Pleistocene that impacted those fish living in the north.  Ironically, the more fish diversity a region has, the more fish are likely to be imperiled.

Saving such fish has an impact beyond preserving species.  For fish to exist, the water and land surrounding it must remain ecologically healthy – and that benefits us all.

Edward Ricciuti has covered conservation issues around the globe.  His specialties include natural history, environmental and conservation issues, science and law enforcement.  He was a curator for the New York Zoological Society, now the Wildlife Conservation Society.  He has written more than 80 books, with his most recent The Snake Almanac (The Lyons Press).