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(CNN) - The population of fish on the Animas River in southwest Colorado has suffered a massive loss after a forest fire in June 2018: it has decreased by approximately 80%.
That's the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Assessment, which conducted a large-scale investigation last week to get a picture of how much the river was affected by the 416 fire.
The forest fire burned an estimated 21,853 hectares of land in the Hermosa Creek basin. After the fire, heavy rain hit the region, and that led to the ashes spilling into the river, which stifled the fish.
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The survey showed that there was only 12 kg of trout per acre, a considerable drop from the historical average of 35 kg per acre.
In addition, only one fish of 35 centimeters per acre was found, which is below the historical average of 55 per acre.
However, there is good news
Despite the significant decline, there are some promising signs.
Heavy snowfall during winter led to sustained runoff in spring and summer that cleared the bottom of the river, which houses many fish and the food they eat. There was also a record number of catches of Catostomus discobolus (a species of fish), which more than quadrupled the numbers reported in 2016.
Although the portion of the Animas River that was designated as a Gold Medal fishery - a designation granted to streams and rivers that provide excellent fishing opportunities - will not lose its gold medal designation, it will be a few years before it returns to Offer true fishing options.
“The river will not lose its gold medal designation. That is a long process that requires several years of data collection, ”CPW official Joe Lewandowski told CNN.
For the Animas River to return to the Gold Medal designation, CPW will continue to have to supply the river with fish.
Since trout cannot reproduce naturally in the Animas River, since there are old mines that drain heavy metals in the upstream water, the fish reproduce at a local hatchery and are used to supply the river, according to CPW.
It is estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 fish are added each year.
Forest fires
