Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
Photo Courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): GNRT3
State (S-rank): S3
Utah Wildlife Action Plan status
- SGCN
External links
Species range
Native to the Colorado and Green River drainages, Colorado River cutts are found on the eastern side of the state’s major mountain ranges like the Uintas and Wasatch Plateau. They can be located anywhere from high elevation lakes in the Uintas all the way down to the streams and lakes on Boulder Mountain in the southern part of the state.
There are known occurrences in Summit, Daggett, Uintah, Duchesne, Wasatch, Sevier, Wayne, and Garfield counties.
Habitat
Colorado River cutthroat trout inhabit cold, clear, high-elevation streams, lakes, and beaver ponds. They prefer cool waters with gravel, cobble, and boulder substrates, balanced pool-riffle sections, and good riparian and instream cover.
Food habits
The Colorado River Cutthroat is primarily an opportunistic invertivore. They feed on aquatic and terrestrial insects and other invertebrates, with larger adults also consuming smaller fish.
Reproductive characteristics
Colorado River Cutthroat Trout migrate in the spring to streams with proper spawning gravel, where females build redds and deposit eggs, which are then fertilized by males. Eggs hatch in about four to five weeks, and the fry emerge from the gravel, finding refuge in slow-moving waters.
Threats or limiting factors
Threats to Colorado River Cutthroat Trout include hybridization and competition with nonnative trout and habitat loss or degradation from issues like water development projects, livestock grazing, and wildfires. Climate change also poses a significant long-term threat, with warmer temperatures and altered precipitation potentially shifting suitable habitats and decreasing stream flows, further isolating populations.