rsg_book_2013

FishRe-establishment of the natural life histories ofEagle Lake rainbow trout, USAGerard Carmona-Catot 1 & Peter B. Moyle 21 - Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, E-17071 Girona,Catalonia, Spain carmona.catot@gmail.com2 - Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University ofCalifornia–Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USApbmoyle@ucdavis.eduIntroductionEagle Lake rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aquilarum), is endemic to EagleLake and its main tributary Pine Creek of northeastern California, USA. EagleLake rainbow trout (ELRT) spend most of their life in Eagle Lake, a large highlyalkaline lake. The lake consists of two basins averaging 5 - 6 m deep and thethird averaging 10 - 20 m, although lake levels may drop further during droughtperiods. The shallow basins are uniform in their limnology and watertemperatures can exceed 20°C in the summer. The deep basin stratifies, so inlate summer most of the trout are in the deeper, cooler water of this basin. PineCreek is the major tributary to Eagle Lake, is approximately 60 km long, of whichabout 10 km are perennial. During the summer, upper Pine Creek is a cold spring-fed trout stream, flowing through meadows and open forest, with modestgradients.ELRT is currently listed as a Species of Special Concern by CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The American Fisheries Societyconsiders ELRT to be a threatened species and NatureServe has listed it as“critically imperiled’. The ELRT fits the definition of a threatened species underU.S. Endangered Species Act because it is in danger of extinction throughout itsnative range as a wild, self-sustaining species.GoalsGoal 1: Restoration of a wild, naturally-spawning population.Goal 2:Modification ofthe weir/dam atthe bottom of themain tributarystream to allowfree passage.Goal 3:Improvements tothe watershedhabitat.Eagle Lake rainbow trout21