Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
This indicator measures whether TRPA is supporting efforts to re-introduce Lahontan cutthroat trout to the Tahoe Basin. The Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT; Oncrhynchus clarkii henshawi) is the only trout species native to the Lake Tahoe Basin and was once the top predator in Lake Tahoe’s aquatic ecosystem. Due to overfishing, habitat degradation, and the introduction of non-native aquatic species, it was extirpated in the 1930s from the Lake Tahoe Basin. While overfishing is no longer an issue, degraded stream habitats, fish passage blockages (culverts, etc.), and non-native aquatic species such as rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout, and mysis shrimp still pose a significant threat to the reintroduction of Lahontan cutthroat trout. Regional projects such as re-introduction of LCT into Fallen Leaf Lake and the Meiss Meadows area of the Upper Truckee River aim to re-establish self-sustaining populations in the Basin. Monitoring of LCT populations is conducted by the various widlife agencies from federal and state governments.
Status
Applicable Standard
It shall be the policy of the TRPA Governing Board to support, in response to justifiable evidence, state and federal efforts to reintroduce Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Key Points
- There have been several years in a row of succesful spawning of lake-form Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in Glen Alpine Creek, the tributary to Fallen Leaf Lake.
- Stream-form Lahontan Cutthroat Trout continue to spawn in the uppermost portion of the Upper Truckee River.
- 5,000 Pilot Peak Lahontan Cutthroat Trout were released into Lake Tahoe in 2019, the first time the original Lake Tahoe strain have been re-introduced into Lake Tahoe since they went extinct in the 1930's.
Delivering and Measuring Success
Example EIP Projects