Cutthroats successfully reproducing in Truckee River
Federal agencies are trying to restore the Lahontan cutthroat trout to regional waters. Photo/USFWS
By Jeff DeLong, Reno Gazette-Journal
Lahontan cutthroat trout are successfully reproducing in the lower Truckee River in what experts are calling a major milestone in efforts to restore the threatened fish.
A year after cutthroats spawned up the lower Truckee from Pyramid Lake for the first time in nearly 80 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has documented about 1,000 newly hatched baby cutthroats swimming in the river after a second spawn this spring. They suspect as many as 45,000 may have hatched in recent weeks.
“We were able to document successful reproduction,” said Lisa Heki, complex manager for the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery. “This is a wild reproductive event. The fish are doing it on their own once again.”
