Symposium Summary: What's New with Western Native Trout?

Sponsor: Western Native Trout Initiative “What’s New with Western Native Trout” was a one-and-a-half-day symposium, sponsored by the Western Native Trout Initiative (westernnativetrout.org), that focused on recent conservation and management actions benefitting western native trout through partnerships and cooperative efforts that result in improved species status, improved aquatic habitats, and improved recreational opportunities for anglers. Presentations were delivered by speakers representing a range of agencies and organizations—state and federal management agencies, universities, conservation organizations, and students. The presentations covered a wide diversity of topics including species status assessments for Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Golden Trout, and Gila Trout; strategic conservation planning efforts for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and interior Redband Trout; the use of management and restoration techniques to benefit Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Apache Trout, and Bull Trout; effects of wildfires on native trout populations; using Safe Harbor Agreements to support Lahontan Cutthroat Trout conservation; genetic research on Greenback Cutthroat Trout, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and Coastal Cutthroat Trout; an approach to using social media to promote awareness of native trout conservation among constituents; and the use of crowd-sourced stream temperature scenarios, modeling, and portfolio scenarios to delineate refugia and spread risk under current and forecasted climate change conditions.   — Therese Thompson, Western Native Trout Initiative, [email protected] Read the symposium abstracts here.