CPW makes historic effort to protect native cutthroat trout in Colorado

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) stocked 480 Trojan male or YY brook trout into Bobtail and Steelman creeks on Sept. 17 as a historic effort to protect native cutthroat trout in the headwaters of the Williams Fork River.

According to a news release from CPW, an alarming number of non-native brook trout were discovered in the Williams Fork River in 2010, and they had decimated the native cutthroat population. CPW has now found 1,400 cutthroat trout in the creeks, compared to 123 in 2011.

"This is a pretty historic moment for Colorado and native cutthroat trout restoration across the state," said CPW Aquatic Biologist Jon Ewert in the news release. "This is a combination of both the hard work and dedication of CPW biologists current and retired."

CPW also said that cutthroat trout within the two creeks are some of the "highest-valued native cutthroat populations in the headwaters of the Colorado River basin." They are also considered a species of special concern in Colorado, as they are genetically pure and naturally reproducing.

Trojan male brook trout have two Y chromosomes, so when they are stocked into wild brook trout populations and reproduce with the wild fish they will only produce male offspring, causing the brook trout to eventually die out and allowing native cutthroat to be restored. CPW will continue to stock the Bobtail and Steelman creeks with Trojan brook trout over the next several years.

Learn more about the Trojan male brook trout and cutthroat trout restoration project in the Upper Williams Fork drainage here .

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