Cuttbow?

[Buck Krazy]

Are they sterile, fishing this year there sure do seem to be a whole heck of alot of them!!! In areas where cutties and bows are there seem to be equal numbers of cutbows. Can they spawn or what? They are beautiful fish and many seem to have more rainbow than cutt. I would think that a cuttbow would be sterile like splake but am not certain. Any thoughts?

[goldscud]

Here's some info from a government paper:

Several species of prey
and sport fish are known to hybridize or reproduce with other genetically similar
species. For example, white suckers hybridize with longnose sucker, and lake
whitefish hybridize with cisco. While this is a natural phenomenon occurring
when similar species spawn in the same area at the same time, hybridization
becomes a concern when native fish hybridize with non-native fish, such as
cutthroat trout hybridizing with rainbow trout. These hybrids, called cutbows,
along with all other hybrids, are sterile and use food and space needed by other
fish which can reproduce and help sustain the population. In addition, these
hybrids dilute the gene pool of sport fish native to the watershed.

[One Canadian]

maybe be the government should allow harvest of them, special category in the regulations. They might be sterile but still taste NICE!

[Buck Krazy]

Would be very hard to control! I agree with ya. But I don't see any real way of regulating it. Not many people fish enough to see the visible differences. I still think you should be able to keep a couple cuttys anyhow. Some of the regulations are ridiculous and put in place mainly by the fishermen who just fell out of an orvis catalouge that think that the trout are sacred jewels and couldn't imagine killing one. Don't get me wrong I am all about c&r but think that they take it too far sometimes. Nothing wrong with keeping a few for the frying pan or smoker.

[jebber6]

it won't be too long before all the cutthroat will be c&r. I will guess in the next three years.