DOW continued aggressive efforts to improve fishing

DOW continued aggressive efforts to improve fishing

Jan. 11, 2001

DENVER — Division of Wildlife managers and the Colorado Wildlife Commission continued their aggressive effort to improve fishing, specifically trout fishing, in Colorado during 2000.

In November, the Wildlife Commission required that by 2003 the Division stop stocking fish exposed to the whirling disease parasite in lakes and streams where trout reproduce. As part of that policy, the stocking of exposed fish will be limited to lower-elevation waters away from trout habitat such as Cherry Creek Reservoir in Denver, Highline Reservoir in Grand Junction and Prospect Lake in Colorado Springs.

The Commission also adopted new fishing regulations that reduces statewide daily bag limits for trout from the current eight fish to four for lakes and streams. The Commission continued the special two-fish bag limit for some select waters on Colorado’s Western Slope, including Gore Creek and the Colorado, Blue, Yampa, Fraser, Eagle and Roaring Fork rivers. The new stocking policy and lower bag limits, in part, reflected the state’s reduced ability to stock rainbow trout.

The Commission also established special regulations for several popular fishing holes, including Granby, Cheesman, Crawford and other reservoirs and several stretches of the South Platte River. Division biologists continued to make progress toward eliminating Whirling Disease from state fish hatcheries during 2000.

The Finger Rock Rearing Unit near Yampa became the newest of the state’s 18 hatcheries to test negative for Whirling Disease following extensive renovations. Finger Rock is the most recent beneficiary of a $13 million state effort to modernize facilities, including efforts to protect groundwater sources from surface contamination.

Whirling Disease is a parasitic infection that attacks cartilage and the nervous system in rainbow trout and other species and causes the fish to swim in circles when stressed. Despite the Whirling Disease problems, the Division stocked nearly 4 million catchable-sized (10-plus inches) and over 11.5 million fingerling-sized trout and salmon during 2000.

Division biologists continued efforts to restore Colorado’s native cutthroat trout, including stocking nearly 30,000 Rio Grande cutthroat fingerlings in the Rio Grande River basin during 2000. Greenback cutthroats were thought to be extinct as recently as 40 years ago and populations of Rio Grande and Colorado River cutthroats had declined dramatically. Thanks to recovery efforts by Division biologists, today there are 76 known populations of Rio Grande cutthroats, 22 populations of greenback cutthroats (the state fish), and 111 populations of Colorado River cutthroats in streams and another 15 in lakes. Those populations are self-sustaining and allow some catch-and-release fishing opportunities for anglers.

Aquatic biologists also announced plans to increase fishing, boating and wildlife viewing opportunities in urban waters in 2000. Division officials targeted 32 lakes in the Denver metro area, 87 gravel pits and other impoundments along the northern Front Range, 16 streams in the foothills area and several lakes in Golden. In partnership with cities, counties and other entities, the Division will consider funding facilities development, stocking and managing the fisheries to open up these lakes and streams for public fishing during the coming year.

These and previous efforts appeared to be paying off. A Division trend analysis of different statewide studies in license sales, trout angling recreation days, angler satisfaction and angler use of Western Slope waters led to the conclusion that angler satisfaction with catching fish and enjoying their surroundings has increased over the last four years.

Division of Wildlife officials estimate that expenditures by anglers add more than $900 million to the Colorado economy annually. Colorado’s sportsmen and women also got their first look at the state’s new big game hunting season structure and, though final data won’t be available until next spring, the view appears to be good.

Under the new five-year season structure approved by the Wildlife Commission in January, Colorado hunters had four seasons to choose from during 2000: an early, limited elk only season, followed by three combined deer and elk hunting seasons. All deer hunting licenses were limited again during the 2000 seasons.

Full game processing facilities and anecdotal evidence from hunters themselves suggested that the 2000 big games seasons were among the best in recent history.

"We think it was an exceptional season," biologist John Ellenberger said. "Everything points to a much better season than in 1999, perhaps the best since 1996, which was the last good year for snow."

For all manners of take during the 1999 big game seasons, 239,109 hunters took 39,700 elk, a 17 percent success rate; 80,650 hunters took 29,600 deer, a 37 percent success rate. Following the 1999 hunt, Colorado had nearly 529,000 deer and almost 265,000 elk.

Responding to the demands of resident sportsmen and others, the Colorado Wildlife Commission directed that, beginning next year, Colorado resident hunters be guaranteed at least 60 percent of the deer and elk licenses issues via computer drawings. An unlimited number of bull elk licenses will still be sold over the counter to both nonresidents and residents.

The Colorado State Legislature approved increases in the costs of nonresident hunting licenses during the spring of 2000. The increase was the first increase in the cost of Colorado hunting and fishing licenses in 10 years and only the fourth in the last 35 years. The new nonresident fees make Colorado’s rates comparable to those charged in the other western states.

Big game hunting pumps about $500 million a year into the Colorado economy with nonresidents typically spending more for outfitting services, lodging, ammunition and other equipment than residents.

For those who enjoy watching and photographing wildlife, the Division began offering monthly Wildlife Watch workshops during 2000. Available statewide, the workshops provided not only wildlife viewing skills but also information about habitats and animal behavior as well. Five to eight workshops were offered monthly attracting nearly 2000 citizens last year.

Division law enforcement officers were also busy last year. The number of citations issued during 2000 was being compiled at press time but was expected to be comparable to 1999 when citations for wildlife violations totaled 4,414. The Division has 200 multi-purpose employees whose job includes a law enforcement component.

Division of Wildlife employees provided nearly 1,000 conservation education programs and reached almost 250,000 students and other participants during 2000.

Division managers focused on young anglers last year. Statewide Division staff held more than 400 fishing clinics and taught 20,000 people how to fish. In the Denver metropolitan area alone, 7,200 kids, many from inner city neighborhoods, participated in 80 fishing clinics sponsored by the agency.

Constituents continued to give the Division high marks for its efforts. In a survey conducted during the summer of 2000, a majority of Colorado residents, hunters and anglers rated the Division’s overall enforcement efforts as good to excellent; "poor" ratings were virtually nonexistent. The survey’s results suggested that law enforcement should remain a priority for the Division.

One top issue respondents told Division of Wildlife mangers about in the law enforcement survey was that there is a common perception that people violate hunting and fishing laws consciously and are seldom caught. In recent years, sportsmen themselves have argued for increased law enforcement efforts.

The Division responded in 2000 ordering a restructuring that will ultimately add 18 new district wildlife managers to the agency’s field force. Ten such positions, located in Brush (two), Salida, Durango, Grand Junction, Denver, Hot Sulphur Springs, Monte Vista, Colorado Springs and Monte Vista, were to be filled from a class of trainees recruited during 2000. The remainder are expected to be added in 2001. In creating the positions, Division mangers cited the importance of Division employees having a presence in local communities and the fact that the number of district wildlife managers had remained constant for many years.

The public also continued to rate Division customer service efforts high during 2000: nine out of 10 walk-in customers surveyed at Division offices in northeastern Colorado said they received excellent customer service during their visits. The Division reclassified administrative, public information and other existing positions in order to create the new district wildlife manager jobs.