Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CPW reports robust early fish counts in reconnected Colorado River reach; tiger muskie program underway at Shadow Mountain
Summary
Colorado Parks & Wildlife told commissioners that initial 2025 surveys in the newly reconnected Colorado River reach showed biomass ~123 lbs/acre and roughly 929 fish per mile; CPW stocked 350,000 wild‑type rainbow trout and described a tiger muskie project at Shadow Mountain Reservoir to reduce white sucker abundance.
A Colorado Parks & Wildlife fisheries biologist (John) gave the board a detailed update on fish populations and recent management actions in Grand County waterbodies. CPW surveyed a 6,600‑foot reach of the newly reconnected Colorado River and reported biomass estimates of about 123 pounds per surface acre, 31 fish over 14 inches per surface acre, and roughly 929 fish per mile. Those values exceed CPW's minimum criteria for a gold‑bronze trout fishery and reflect substantial natural colonization following the channel reconnection.
"Our biomass estimates there, 123 pounds per acre and fish over 14 inches per acre was 31 and fish per mile was 929," John said, noting that those numbers were collected before the program stocked 350,000 wild‑type rainbow trout in July 2025 to accelerate recruitment. CPW is monitoring multiple age classes and fish movement with electronic tags to document long‑term trends.
On reservoir work, CPW described a management experiment at Shadow Mountain Reservoir to address an overwhelming white sucker population and a parasite risk in connected private waters. The agency has shifted stocking to sterile tiger muskie — a predatory, sterile hybrid — to thin sucker numbers and reduce nutrient loading risks. "We have somewhere in the range of a 140,000 to 200,000 pounds of living white sucker in Shadow Mountain Reservoir," John said, and CPW reported that tiger muskie comprised about 9% of net samples in 2025, with early signs of predation pressure on small fish.
Why it matters: the connectivity project and active stocking are reshaping local fisheries and recreational opportunities. The tiger muskie strategy is experimental and intended to reduce nuisance species and help water quality, but CPW and commissioners noted possible downstream spill and the need for liberalized harvest rules in connected non‑target waters to reduce escapee survival.
