Wildfire is not only deadly for land animals, but for aquatic animals too. Colorado wildlife officials have reported that the Hayden Pass fire must have affected a rare fish. They believe the fish is extinct now.
The fish is cutthroat trout that is thought to be died out due to wildfire. There is a three-mile stretch in south prong of Hayden Creek where the fish thrived, said biologist Greg Policky of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The fish is feared to go extinct because it is very rare and is protected by the Endangered Species Act, added Policky, who has worked with the Forest Service of the US for many years.
The family of the fish looks similar to greenbacks, which is also a tiny species of fish. The DNA of cutthroat trout differentiates it from other species of fish, continued Policky. “They are more numerous than the only known pure greenback species found in the Bear Creek Watershed, a species the Forest Service plans to protect by altering nearby roads and trails. But these Hayden Creek cutthroat are similarly important”, as per the biologist.
No other population of cutthroat is known to have the genetics that the fish of Hayden Creek has. If they’re extinct, nothing can be done, but biologists are still hopeful that the fish is still there in the water, said Policky.
In a survey in 2014 on the fish showed that the creature was self-sustaining. One year before the survey, a barrier was built to stop other fish to enter habitat of cutthroat trout.