Westslope Cutthroat Trout – State Wildlife Action Plan

Overview

Species Common Name Westslope Cutthroat Trout
Species Scientific Name Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi
Federal Listing Status Species of Concern
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Special needs

Specializes in foraging for invertebrates.
Prefers cool, clear streams with coarse sediment.

Limiting factors

Land use practices that reduce riparian cover.
Passage barriers.
Invasive species that can compete over food resources.

Data gaps

Unknown status and extent of hybridization with cutthroat trout and rainbow trout.

Conservation actions

Maintain riparian cover and other factors that can provide thermal cooling.
Reduce localized impacts where populations could become increasingly fragmented.