Phase I Restoration and Recovery of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the Tahoe Basin.

Phase I will focus on informing reintroduction strategies for lacustrine LCT to restore a native fishery of the world’s largest inland cutthroat and assess LCT habitat use. Based on research from the 2012 ecosystem study LCT will be stocked in the southwest area of Lake Tahoe to assess reintroduction strategies and increase recreational fishing opportunities. The study will examine habitat use, distribution and movement patterns by reintroduced LCT, use of nearshore refugia from nonnative lake trout and begin a lake wide, multiple agency assessment of Lake Tahoe tributaries to determine potential spawning areas and mechanisms for minimizing hybridization with nonnative rainbow trout.