The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatic Research Section provides a combination of field and laboratory experimentation to answer statewide fisheries management questions, improve efficiency in production and management of aquatic species, and provide centralized fisheries management functions related to data management, stream habitat improvement and brood stock development.
Aquatic research focuses on:
Several high-priority aquatic species, including cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish and boreal toads
Habitat improvement
Water quality
Whirling disease
Stream and reservoir ecology
Lake and reservoir ecology
Western slope native species
Eastern plains native species
Also housed under the Aquatics Research Section is the Fish Research Hatchery, which facilitates various research programs and studies across the state. The Aquatics Research Section also maintains the CPW's aquatic databases and provides fishery professionals with access to aquatic research software.
