UC Davis lecture tonight on Lahontan cutthroat trout

A presentation on the Lahontan cutthroat trout will be featured tonight, Wednesday, at the U.C. Davis Lake Tahoe Regional Enviromental Center. The program and presentation by Gary Scoppettone, section chief of the Western Fisheries Research Center, begins at 6 p.m. (no host bar at 5:30 ) at the center, 291 Country Club Dr., Incline Village.
Considered North America’s largest inland trout, the Lahontan cutthroat trout once thrived throughout the Truckee River system. This spectacular fish was, however, most numerous and reached its largest size (record 41 lbs.) in the Truckee River basin lakes. Unfortunately, by the 1940s the world famous Lahontan cutthroat trout had almost disappeared from the Truckee River system. Overfishing, disease, habitat alteration, and nonnative species all contributed to its demise. Today, only one native self-reproducing population of Lahontan cutthroat persist in the entire Truckee River Basin, the Independence Lake Lahontan cutthroat. This talk focusses on research and habitat management to preserve the Independence Lake Lahontan cutthroat, and on the likelihood of the population’s survival.

Scoppettone is Section Chief of the Reno Field Station of the Western Fisheries Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey. The Reno Field Station conducts research on federally listed threatened and endangered fishes in California, Nevada, and Oregon. Research topics include population dynamics, life history, interspecific interactions, and invasive species control. Gary has 13 published papers pertaining to the Truckee River system’s federally listed fishes (Lahontan cutthroat trout and cui-ui).

For more information, contact Heather Segale at 775-881-7562 or hmsegale@ucdavis.edu or visit http://terc.ucdavis.edu/calendar/.