GREEN RIVER - Federal officials will take another look at the status of the Bonneville cutthroat trout this spring, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The new study will determine if some populations of the fish require special protection in any significant portion of its range, said agency spokesman Paul Abate.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is opening a public comment period to gather any new information regarding the status of the species - including information about current populations, distribution and potential threats to the Bonneville cutthroat.

The new review will include analysis of whether the trout subspecies is warranted for listing as threatened or endangered in any significant part of its habitat.

In Wyoming, Bonneville cutthroat trout are found in the Bear River drainage in southwest Wyoming, including the Smiths Fork River, Hobble Creek, Lake Alice and Sulphur Creek Reservoir.

In total, the Bonneville cutthroat trout's habitat includes about 280 miles or more of Wyoming streams, rivers and lakes.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department managers said Friday that Bonneville cutthroat are doing well in Wyoming. Fish Division spokesman Dirk Miller said a federal listing of the fish isn't needed here.

"We sincerely believe (a listing) is not warranted, certainly in this part of the range," Miller said. "In the Bear River drainage, that whole enclave in Wyoming and outside Wyoming is doing well."

The Bonneville is part of the agency's popular "Cutt-Slam" competition, whereby anglers who catch all four of Wyoming's cutthroat trout subspecies in their native range are recognized by the agency.

In 2001, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined that listing the Bonneville cutthroat was not warranted. The agency was subsequently sued by the Center for Biological Diversity, challenging the merits of the "not warranted" finding. Last year, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.

But Abate said the agency withdrew the finding to begin the new evaluation after Fish and Wildlife Service policy was changed last year. The new policy allows the agency to evaluate whether a species may be threatened in a significant portion of its range.

Officials said under the new rules, a portion of a subspecies range can now be considered significant if it is part of the current range of species and contributes meaningfully to the ability to conserve the species.

Miller said he was unsure what the "significant portion of its range" might mean for Wyoming's populations.

"If you look at the Bonneville, there are portions of its historic range where there's a pretty low percent of streams that are currently occupied, and so that could be a bigger issue in those places (than Wyoming)," Miller said in a phone interview.

"I don't think we're at risk in Wyoming in terms of this portion of the range being a listable entity … but I'm not sure," he said.

Miller noted that Wyoming has been working with other states for several years under the auspices of the Bonneville Cutthroat Interagency Team to develop rangewide conservation agreements and strategies to help sustain and improve Bonneville populations.