Their Story
Status of Paiute Cutthroat Trout
Paiute cutthroat trout were place on the Endangered Species list by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1969, and then moved to the Threatened Species list in 1975. The Paiute cutthroat trout would have been lost forever if a sheepherder had not transported these fish to a protected selection (e.g., a natural barrier preventing non-natives to come upstream) of Silver King Creek above Llewellyn Falls. Rainbow trout eventually invaded and dominated the lower section of Silver King Creek - eliminating Paiute cutthroat by cross breeding and competition. In the early 1950's, rainbow trout and Lahontan cutthroat trout were planted above Llewellyn Falls - resulting in a reduced and isolated population of Paiute cutthroat in a couple of tributaries.
Management Needed to Restore Paiute Cutthoart
A CDFG biologist is credited with transplanting a Pauite Cutthroat from Silver King Creek to Cottonwood Creek. To restore Silver King Creek above Llewellyn Falls, the hybrid fish were poisoned with rotenone. Unfortunately, some hybrids survived the rotenone and remained in the newly, transported population. In the 1980's Paiute cutthroat trout exist in roughly 8 km of the Silver King Creek watershed. In the 1990's, the mainstem of Silver King Creek and the tributaries above Llwellyn Falls were poisoned and restocked. A decade later, the population was low again. Paiute cutthroat continue to be heavily manage and remain a cause for concern.
