I picked up a copy of the 2007 ‘Endangered Species Bulletin’ published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Science and as usual learned about some critters and plants that I didn’t even know existed.  Among those was the Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi).  Usually animals that I don’t know about turn out to be a little meadow mouse or rare songbird; however, this subspecies of cutthroat trout is a true heavyweight.  When living in freshwater lakes, the Lahontan trout have reached a whopping 62 pounds (year 1916).  I’ve certainly heard of cutthroat trout and envision small brook trout sized fish swimming in crystal clear high-elevation streams….I’m not conjuring up images of trout that are 20 lbs. larger than the world record channel catfish!!!

Native to Lake Tahontan, Nevada constitutes virtually all of the fish’s native range, little bit of California and Oregon too.  The trout has extremely dense numbers of gill rakers which suggest a zooplankton diet, but also has a digestive system built to prey on fish - chubs, suckers and even cannibalizing its own kind.  Restocking efforts have and will expand to Pyramid Lake, Fallen Leaf Lake, and maybe Lake Tahoe.  Interestingly, the Lahontan cutthroat can also adapt to stream life, although this lifestyle severely limits their potential adult size.

Hatcheries in the area continue to focus efforts on rearing eggs and hatchlings to restock as many native waters as possible.  Who knows…a couple decades from now, monster cutthroats running rivers through downtown Reno?!?! Stranger things have happened and will happen as spectacular recoveries are made for some little-known species around North America and around the world.