But declining harvests and decreasing numbers of trophy-size cutthroat in waters known for these large and very special fish have many anglers concerned. Studies indicate that both grow slowly and that their numbers are relatively small. Sea-run cutthroat typically reside in lakes during the winter and migrate early in the spring to feed in salt water. They move back into lakes for the fall and winter. In sea-run systems, cutthroat grow to about 16 inches in 10 years.
Several factors make cutthroat trout populations easy to deplete.
They are vulnerable to harvest and sensitive to habitat disruption. They grow slowly, have low-density populations and a low reproductive rate. Cutthroat are easy to catch because they take bait aggressively. This behavior can reduce abundance in all but the most productive populations. Furthermore, fish that are released after being caught with bait often die.