Utah State Fish
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (common name) Oncorhynchus clarki utah (scientific name) Overview The Bonneville cutthroat is one of over a dozen recognized subspecies of cutthroat trout and the only one native to the tributaries of the Great Salt Lake. The fish were thought to be extinct in the 1970s, but the discovery of six isolated, genetically "pure" populations led to a concerted effort to protect and repopulate the species. By the early 1990s, populations had grown by 29 percent, and by 2000, some 261 distinct populations of Bonneville cutthroat trout had been identified in Utah. Bonneville cutthroats have a light brown back and yellowish flanks with black spots all over their bodies that grow increasingly larger toward their tails. They also feature orange fins and a red-orange throat. In 1997 the Utah state legislature adopted the Bonneville cutthroat trout as the state fish, replacing the rainbow trout, which had been the state fish since 1971. Close-up STATUS Unofficial PHYSICAL DETAILS Length: Up to 18 in (46 cm) Weight: Up to 4 lbs (1.8 kg) in streams and 18 lbs (8.2 kg) in lakes LIFESPAN Up to 20 years HABITAT Clear, cold mountain streams and lakes, preferably with gravelly bottoms. Range: The Bonneville Basin of Idaho, Nevada, and Utah and the Smith Fork and Thomas Fork drainages of the Bear River system in Wyoming. Water type: Freshwater Water temp: 39–50°F (4-10°C) Elevation: Up to heights of 9,500 ft (1800 m) Conservation Status: Vulnerable DIET The Bonneville cutthroat eats plankton as a juvenile, then graduates to insects (both flies and fly larvae) and other fish. REPRODUCTION Fertilization: External Spawning frequency: Spring or summer Mating behavior: Distinct pairing Egg laying: The female digs nest-like depressions called "redds" in gravelly riffles in streams. Adults do not guard the nest. USES Game fish OTHER NAMES Native trout, Utah trout, bluehead TRIVIA The Bonneville cutthroat was once confined to Lake Bonneville, a massive prehistoric lake that covered much of Idaho and Utah tens of thousands of years ago. At some point, a natural dam broke and the lake let loose a massive flood that shaped much of the geography of the American west, from the Snake River Gorge to the Grand Canyon. The remaining Bonneville trout were confined to a widely dispersed number of spawning streams that were now unconnected.    In 1979, the Desert Fishes Council and American Fisheries Society petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as endangered. The state wanted to prevent the listing of the trout as a sensitive species and thus entered into a Range-Wide Conservation Agreement between Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, the Goshute Tribe, several federal agencies, and several nonprofit groups. In 1984, U.S. Fish and Wildlife determined that listing the trout as endangered was "warranted but precluded" by higher priority efforts.
	Click to enlarge an image Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Bonneville Cutthroat Trout in Natural Habitat Landing Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Fingerling Bonneville Cutthroat Trout at Fish Hatchery CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Salmoniformes Family: Salmonidae Genus: Oncorhynchu Species: O. clarki Subspecies: O. c. utah
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