Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs speaks during an event where the Department of Interior announced delisting the Apache Trout from the Endangered Species list in Mesa, Arizona, on Sept. 4, 2024. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror
After more than five decades of conservation efforts led by tribal, state, federal and non-governmental organizations, Arizona’s state fish, the Apache trout, has been removed from the Endangered Species list, making it the first sport fish and trout to be delisted due to recovery.
“The incredible recovery of the Apache trout reminds us of the transformational power that collaborative conservation efforts – grounded in Indigenous knowledge – can have on fish and wildlife,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said.
Haaland visited Arizona on Wednesday to announce the removal of the Apache trout from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife alongside Gov. Katie Hobbs, White Mountain Apache Tribe Chairman Kasey Velasquez, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deputy Director Siva Sundaresan and other conservation partners.
“The Apache trout is the first fish species in Arizona to be delisted,” Hobbs said. The trout was one of the first endangered species to be federally listed in 1967.
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“This is a historic day that is the result of decades of collaboration and partnership,” Hobbs said. “Preserving the Apache trout, our state fish, is a testament to what is possible when leaders work together toward a common goal.”
Haaland said that tribal, state, and federal partners came together for decades of hard work to ensure the species had a fighting chance at survival, but the White Mountain Apache Tribe has led these conservation efforts.
“It was the White Mountain Apache Tribe who stepped in to protect the species by passing several ordinances in the 1950s and 60s that closed certain streams from fishing, saving the species from potential extinction,” Haaland said.
She said that for more than six decades, the White Mountain Apache Tribe has been a constant leader and partner in Apache trout recovery efforts.
“Our tribe has played a crucial role in saving the only impacted trout species in the world, which was on the verge of extinction,” Velasquez said, adding that it is thanks to the leadership of White Mountain Tribal leaders who came before him.
He said the White Mountain Apache Tribe recognizes the collective efforts from all parties that brought them to this point where the Apache trout no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.
“However, we cannot take our success for granted,” he added. “The Apache trout will continue to be reliant on our vigilance and our earnest commitment to ensure this magnificent jewel continues to enhance not only our lives, but the lives of generations yet to be born.”
The Apache trout is found exclusively in streams of the White Mountains in the eastern part of Arizona and it is one of only two species of trout native to the state. It is sacred to the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
“The Fort Apache Indian Reservation, our home, is a breathtakingly beautiful landscape that provides a safe haven for many species of plants and wildlife,” Velasquez said, adding that as part of Apache philosophy, their people work to protect, study and manage all species for future generations to enjoy.
The Apache trout gained protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 due to habitat loss and the introduction of non-native species. In 1975, the species was downlisted to threatened rather than endangered.
Four years later, 14 known Apache trout populations occupied 30 miles of habitat. Now, after decades of recovery and conservation efforts, there are 30 Apache trout populations occupying 175 miles of habitat.
“Essential conservation actions, including the removal of non-native trout and reintroduction of Apache trout, have driven this recovery,” the Department of Interior said in a statement. “Apache trout require continual management to maintain conservation barriers and prevent hybridization with non-native species.”
Hobbs said that recovery is an amazing accomplishment, and it’s owed to the collaborative efforts of many partners, but particularly the White Mountain Apache Tribe, which was critical to this success.
She said the White Mountain Apache Tribe had remarkable foresight, an unwavering dedication, and a steadfast commitment to conserving the Apache trout long before the fish was listed under the Endangered Species Act.
“Today, the Apache trout is alive and thriving under the Cooperative Management Plan, and we will make sure it stays that way far into the future,” she said.
Haaland said the experts leading the Apache trout conservation projects have long championed the fish’s recovery because they know just how valuable it is to the surrounding ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
“The restoration of the Apache trout is a unique success story that has a great deal to teach us as we double down on our conservation efforts nationwide,” Haaland said.
The recovery of the Apache trout was accomplished through actions such as reintroduction of Apache trout to streams, along with elimination of non-native trout.
“Thanks to resources from the President’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners were able to reopen over 60 miles of habitat and reinforce existing conservation efforts, resulting in today’s impressive announcement,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams in a press release.
The Department of the Interior stated that the Apache trout requires continual management to maintain the conservation barriers and prevent hybridization with non-native species.
To address those needs, a cooperative management plan to safeguard and sustain Apache trout populations and their habitats over the long term has been established in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Trout Unlimited.
Two Apache trout conservation projects were funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the 2022 Apache Trout Recovery Fish Passage Infrastructure Project and the 2023 Crooked Creek Route 55 Culvert Fish Passage Project , both led by the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
The 2022 Apache trout Recovery project is ongoing. Its goal is to remove seven barriers and replace six culverts, most of which are on White Mountain Apache tribal land.
“The barriers were constructed decades ago to protect against invasion by nonnative predatory trout, but they now block Apache trout, are outdated, and no longer needed due to improved protection measures far downstream,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The project’s goal is to create larger populations of Apache trout and reopen access to about 52 miles of habitat.
The 2023 Crooked Creek project is working to replace a culvert that prevents fish from moving freely in the creek..
“Crooked Creek contains one of only 17 populations of threatened Apache trout, and this project will allow Apache trout to move freely within their habitat,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. “As climate change impacts freshwater streams, this habitat will be stable for Apache trout in the future, supporting its need for restoration.”
The project supports goals established by the White Mountain Apache Tribe Native Fishes Management Plan, which includes the conservation, maintenance and enhancement of the existing native fish population that is culturally and commercially important to the tribe.
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