This winter, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists at Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery once again successfully spawned Apache trout, a fish listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. This trout is naturally restricted to waters in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, on the homelands of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Apache-Sitegraves National Forest. Though considered threatened, the trout provides unique angling opportunities.

Recent spawning at the federal hatchery started mid-December 1999, and lasted through late March this year. With 376 adult females and over 820 males, they produced nearly 567,000 eggs and to date, about 83 percent of those have reached the stage where the eyes are visible through the thin shell. About 167,000 fry have already hatched from the earliest spawns. Hatchery biologists expect to produce 100,000 catchable, 8- and 14-inch fish from this winter’s spawn.

Apache trout grown at the hatchery are destined for lakes and streams managed for sport fishing by the Tribe and the Service’s Arizona Fishery Resources Office. Some trout also go to streams managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Forest Service.

Apache trout provide a unique sport fishery, drawing anglers far removed from Arizona’s White Mountains--the only place in the world you can catch this fish.

Last year, Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery stocked out 102,000, catchable Apache trout specifically for sport fishing. Also, the Arizona Game and Fish Department received 130,000 three-inch fingerlings that they grew to a catchable size in their hatcheries before stocked out for fishing. The federal hatchery intends to duplicate the numbers going to the Arizona Game and Fish Department with this winter’s spawn.

To advance recovery, the federal hatchery started working with this imperiled trout in 1983, in conjunction with the Tribe. The Apache trout was once considered “endangered” with extinction, but through the early interdiction of the Tribe, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, its conservation status has improved greatly. And through concerted conservation efforts, the Apache trout is recovering and may soon be the first fish ever removed entirely from the endangered species list.

The Williams Creek facility is part of the Alchesay-Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery Complex located on the Ft. Apache Indian Reservation. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service manages 66 National Fish Hatcheries, 64 Fishery Resources Offices, nine Fish Health Centers, and seven Fish Technology Centers across the country.

For more information on fishing for Apache trout, contact Hondah Ski & Outdoors (520)369-7669, the White Mountain Apache Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division (520)338-4385, or Arizona Game and Fish Department (520)367-4342.

Contact: Craig Springer (505)248-6867