Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Utah
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Pyramid Lake, Nevada is one of the last remaining strongholds for lacustrine Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT); almost all other large lake populations have undergone population declines or extirpation as a result of habitat degradation, over-harvest, and water diversions, all compounded by the stocking of non-native species. The population depends almost entirely on stocking programs and efficient management. For this effort, we are collaborating with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex) and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. We provided a three-tiered Monitoring Approach, in which Tier 1 represents the most critical and includes monitoring LCT and their primary forage base tui chub. We will monitor LCT and tui chub abundance annually using two sampling sessions and adapt the management plan as necessary to inform management decisions.