Friday, June 15, 2007

Colorado Cutthroat Trout Will Not Get Protection

For eight years, conservation groups have been trying to get Colorado Cutthroat trout added to the Federal Endangered Species List in order to protect it from extinction. They believe the number of native Colorado Cutthroat trout have been greatly reduced as a result having to compete with the non-native rainbow trout.

However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that this is not the case. They actually found several new populations of Colorado Cutthroat trout, leading them to believe the fish is in no danger of becoming extinct, but still remains a concern.

The last time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said, "no", conservationist sued them, which resulted in another investigation into the populations of Colorado Cutthroat trout. So it will be interesting to see what happens this time.

Colorado Cutthroat trout are one of only three native trout found in Colorado. They're also found in Wyoming and Utah.

These trout are a subspecies of Cutthroat trout, and are native to Colorado. They historically occupied portions of the Colorado River drainage in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico - hence earning them their name.

To read more about the Colorado Cutthroat trout and U.S. Fish and Wildlife studies, click here.

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