Endangered Gila trout rescued near KP Fire

Arizona Outdoorsman / AZOD

Endangered Gila trout rescued near KP Fire

PHOENIX - Arizona Game and Fish Department fish biologists spent a hot, smoky day May 24 evacuating 30 endangered Gila trout from Raspberry Creek in east central Arizona because of a forest fire.
Raspberry Creek is one of Arizona's two recovery streams for Gila trout, which are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Fires have been devastating for Gila trout during the past years. Several Gila trout populations have been lost or severely reduced in New Mexico due to wildfires.

Gila and Apache trout are Arizona's two native trout. Rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout are not native to the state. Gila trout were also reintroduced to Dude Creek near Payson.

Raspberry Creek was last surveyed in August 2002. At that time the fish were growing fast and looking healthy, so the population at Raspberry Creek is extremely valuable for recovery purposes.
A forest fire that broke out at nearby KP Creek has since moved slowly southeast toward Raspberry Creek. The U.S. Forest Service decided the best way to fight the KP Creek fire was by setting a backfire around Raspberry Creek so the two fires will meet and burn each other out.

The rare trout evacuation involved entering the canyon on horseback and capturing the fish via backpack electro-fishing gear. Electro-fishing is a non-lethal method of capture by which biologists stun the fish, remove them from the water with nets and transport them out in specially designed panniers.

The 30 endangered trout were taken to the Mora National Fish Hatchery in New Mexico. Arizona officials say it is important to preserve this strain of Gila trout for recovery purposes. They added it's too soon to predict when, or if, the rescued Gila trout will be returned to our state.