Native and Non-native Fish

Originally, the Gunnison River supported native fish and aquatic insects in its clear, oxygen-rich waters—which start from snow melt on the western slope of the Continental Divide. After the Bureau of Reclamation built three dams on the Gunnison River from 1961 to 1978, the fishery of the river changed. As time went on, native species were largely replaced by various trout species due to habitat changes, accidental introduction, and stocking programs.

Federal and state fish hatcheries stock over three million fish in the reservoirs each year. Even within stocking programs, some fish outcompete others over time. Since the 1990s, non-native lake trout have naturally reproduced and increased predation of Kokanee salmon, another non-native species. This management challenge of species overpopulation and decline continues today.

 

Native species (not all shown) in the Gunnison River and adjacent tributaries

NPS Graphic

Native Fish

Native fish species environments were significantly altered after dam construction. Of the known native fish species in this section of the Gunnison River, only one is still commonly found: Speckled dace. The native trout species, Colorado Cutthroat, may be found sparingly in streams feeding into the reservoirs. Flannelmouth sucker and others are not currently present in the park.

 

Non-native species (not all shown) found in the reservoirs. Black lines denote the locations of dams.

NPS Graphic

Non-native Species

Non-native species do not occur naturally in an area and are introduced as the result of human activities. Non-native fish species in Curecanti are present due to stocking programs and accidental or illegal introduction.

 

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), were introduced into the Gunnison River in the 1880s, are stocked quite heavily and can be caught in river areas or the reservoirs. Identifying marks are black spots on a light body and a colorful red stripe along the sides.

 

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Lake Trout (Mackinaw)

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), also known as Mackinaw, are usually found in deeper and colder water, around 45 to 50°F (7 to 10°C). This species can reach tremendous sizes and usually grow 24–36 inches (61–91 cm). They are identifiable by a white spotting pattern on a dark background. Unlike other trout, they have a deeply indented tail fin.

 

Brown trout (Salmo trutta)

Brown Trout (German)

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) is another large fish species which can be found in all three reservoirs. They can be difficult to catch outside their fall spawning run. Their bodies have a spotting pattern composed of black and red-orange spots to help distinguish them from rainbow trout or cutthroats.

 

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Brook Trout

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) live in most of the streams feeding into the reservoirs of Curecanti. Curecanti Creek, which feeds into Morrow Point Reservoir, can be one of the best spots for catching the “brookies." The pectoral and pelvic fins are often orange edged with black and white. The body is dark with red spots surrounded by blue and white spots.

 

Kokanee salmon (spawning colors)

Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are a type of land-locked salmon. These fish travel in schools, feeding on the zooplankton of the reservoirs. The salmon are stocked from the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, located north of Gunnison. When they are ready to spawn at the end of their third or fourth summer, they travel upriver to return to the hatchery. At this time, they no longer feed and die after reproducing. During fall spawning season, females develop a red-gray-white pattern while males develop a hook jaw and turn brick red.

In order to ensure a sufficient number of eggs are collected and fertilized, the snagging of kokanee salmon is only allowed during November and December. Between August 1 and October 31, all salmon caught east of the Lake City Bridge must be released.

 

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

Yellow Perch

A recent introduction to Blue Mesa Reservoir, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were first found around the year 2000 after an illegal stocking. They can be found in large schools around Iola Basin and the Elk Creek narrows. These fish are a light green with yellow sides, dark vertical stripes, and two separate dorsal fins.

 

Choose 'Fish' for Species Category and then 'Get Full List' to see all species, abundance, and nativeness.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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