The Beardslee trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus'' f. ''beardsleei''), formerly ''Salmo gairdneri beardsleei'') is a local

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

endemic to

Lake Crescent Lake Crescent is a deep lake located entirely within Olympic National Park in Clallam County, Washington, United States, approximately west of Port Angeles on U.S. Route 101 and nearby to the small community of Piedmont. At an official maxim ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Some sources treat them as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. Known to locals as "bluebacks", Beardslee trout are found nowhere else, and spawn in the

Lyre River The Lyre River in the U.S. state of Washington flows out of Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Originally referred to as "singing waters" by the indians living near it, the river was first named Rio de ...

, near the outlet of the lake. Beardslee are somewhat difficult to distinguish from the

Lake Crescent cutthroat trout The Crescenti cutthroat trout or the Lake Crescent cutthroat trout is a North American freshwater fish, a local form (f. loc.) of the coastal cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii'') isolated in Lake Crescent in Washington. While previ ...

, which is also endemic to Lake Crescent, as they only take on the rainbow colors during spawning. The spawning grounds of the Beardslee (considered the rarest salmonid in the

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the State of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier ...

) are severely threatened by siltation, and the degradation of logjams in the river used as spawning grounds. Responding to a proposal from Washington Trout, Olympic National Park has announced an emergency change to fishing regulations on Lake Crescent. On May 24 (2002), Park Superintendent David Morris announced that Lake Crescent and all its tributaries will be open for catch and release angling only. The rule change prohibits the use of down riggers, and requires that anglers use only artificial lures with single barbless hooks and no more than two ounces of weight. The emergency rule took effect June 1, the day the lake opened for fishing. The new rules are designed to protect Lake Crescent's population of Beardslee rainbow trout, which has declined to a critically low level. Beardslee trout are a unique form of rainbow trout, native to Lake Crescent, and found nowhere else on earth. They spawn in late winter and early spring in only one small area of the Lyre River, near the outlet of the lake. Washington Trout conducted independent spawning surveys on the Lyre this past spring and found alarming evidence of very low numbers of spawning fish, indicating that the population has experienced a severe decline. This evidence was supported by counts made by Park Service crews that officially counted only 35 spawning redds (slightly higher than WT's count), the lowest number since official redd counts were begun in 1989.Park Responds to Request From WT to Conserve Beardslee Trout
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References

Oncorhynchus Trout, Beardslee Trout, Beardslee Trout, Beardslee Trout, Beardslee Natural history of Washington (state) Cold water fish {{Salmoniformes-stub