The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Aug. 10 announcement proposing that Apache Trout be removed from the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Species is a huge win for fish and wildlife conservation. If delisted, it would be the first native trout species and gamefish to be removed from the list due to conservation efforts.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Apaches-Sitgreaves National Forest, and Trout Unlimited signed onto the Apache Trout Cooperative Management Plan (CMP) in 2021. It outlines the management actions and step-down activities needed to achieve recovery and provide for long-term management if the Apache Trout is delisted.
The USFWS delisting proposal was preceded by a 5-year review and 2021 species status assessment, which included the best available scientific information. The assessment evaluated the species’ current needs, condition, and threats, in addition to modeling future scenarios. The most recent 5-year review, published Aug. 23, 2022, recommended delisting this species due to recovery. More information about 5-year status reviews is available on the USFWS website.
Comments on the proposed delisting must be received within 60 days of its Aug. 10 publication in the Federal Register. Information on how to submit comments is available at www.regulations.gov by searching under docket number FWS-R2-ES-2022-0115.
Frequently asked questions for the proposed delisting can be found on the USFWS website here.