Centennial State News

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials are happy their work appears to have not been in vain amid news the state fish is now naturally reproducing in Herman Gulch.

In a news release, Gov. Jared Polis said the greenback cutthroat trout widely regarded as the state fish and once feared to be on the verge of extinction is now reproducing in Colorado after a still building 10-year campaign to help bring the fish back to healthy numbers. The greenback was thought to be extinct all the way back to 1937 before a couple were discovered in the Bear Creek area in 2012.

"While we will continue to stock greenback trout from our hatcheries, the fact that they are now successfully reproducing in the wild is exciting for the future of this species,” Polis added. “This is a huge wildlife conservation success story and a testament to the world-class wildlife agency Coloradans have in Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Colorado's ecological diversity strengthens our community, supports our anglers, and our thriving outdoor recreation economy."

As recently as in 2016, authorities began stocking the greenbacks in other rivers and tributaries in hopes of expanding their habitat. Now that they have found the fish naturally reproducing in one of their original stock locations, there is hope the fish may soon be completely back from the brink,

“CPW aquatic biologists in the Southeast Region have worked incredibly hard to protect and preserve the only known population of greenbacks in Bear Creek,” Josh Nehring, CPW assistant aquatic section manager added. “Our hatchery staff along with our federal hatchery partners overcame immense obstacles to be able to replicate the species in captivity. Now to see them on the landscape in their native habitat replicating on their own is a huge sense of accomplishment for everyone involved."