The group Trout Unlimited says the nation’s trout are in trouble.
Development, invasive species and climate change are threats that have pushed the native trout to just one quarter of the places they used to thrive nationwide. TU’s president and CEO, Chris Wood, told reporters in a conference call Tuesday it’s not just a problem for people who like to fish.
“Make no mistake: This report belies its title; it is not about trout,” he said. “It’s about us. If people care about clean drinking water, they should care about native trout. In a very real sense, as the trout go, so do we.”
Utah’s state fish, the Bonneville cutthroat, was on the verge of extinction before the state Division of Wildlife Resources restored it over three decades. Now three subspecies of cutthroat are native to Utah, but they’re only found in under a third of their historic range.
Steve Schmidt, owner of the Western Rivers Flyfisher store in Salt Lake City, sees the report as a call to action, especially on climate change.
“I’m going to catch all the trout I want in my lifetime,” he says. “I’m really concerned that my kids are not going to have that same experience. Everything I do for today is for them tomorrow, because that’s the legacy we will leave.”
Schmidt has actively opposed plans for the billion-dollar Bear River Project because of its potential impact on trout habitat.
