Apache Trout

The comeback of the Apache trout (Oncorhynchus apache) in Arizona is a great example of success resulting from a private-public-tribal conservation partnership.

This once abundant f ish was decimated by over-harvest, habitat loss, and competition with previously reintroduced non-native trout species. Fortunately, however, the White Mountain Apache Tribe and conservation partners like the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Forest Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service have brought back the native Apache trout from near extinction to near recovery.

Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and tribal members built barriers to protect Apache trout from invading non-native f ish. They have also worked together to enhance trout habitat by restoring streamside vegetation, building livestock exclosures, and removing non-native f ish.

Trout Unlimited and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have paid for habitat rehabilitation, population surveys, and hatchery work with the goal of restoring the Apache trout to a secure status.