Lake Tahoe, Nev., Calif. – Tahoe’s native fish are making a return this summer.
The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex in Gardnerville, Nev., began stocking 100,000 catchable, Lahontan cutthroat trout into Lake Tahoe June 1 and will continue stocking throughout the summer as conditions allow.
The stocking is part of a multiagency and tribal cooperative effort to reintroduce the Tahoe Basin’s native trout species and expand recreational fishing opportunities to anglers. The partners involved are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (USDA LTBMU), Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.
The reintroduction of Lahontan cutthroat trout has biological and recreational importance as well as significant cultural value to the Washoe Tribe. As the original stewards of Lahontan cutthroat trout, the Washoe Tribe has been an important stakeholder and partner since the beginning of reintroduction in the Tahoe Basin. The tribe has always been supportive of the restoration projects within Washoe ancestral lands.
The fish will be stocked at various, publicly accessible locations in both the California and Nevada portions of the lake. Approximately 20 percent of the trout will be tagged to help biologists evaluate the success of the stocking effort along with the growth, survival, and distribution of the fish.
Anglers are required to follow all fishing regulations (see Sport Fishing Regulations below) and encouraged to report any tagged fish they catch by calling the phone number on the tag, (775) 861-6355. Over time, stocking will inform conservation and recreation strategies in the reintroduction of this native strain of the fish into its historic habitat.
Lahontan cutthroat trout have been stocked intermittently in Lake Tahoe since 2011, although in smaller numbers. They
