DENVER—A new study led by University of Colorado researchers says federal and state biologists trying to restore the endangered greenback cutthroat trout the last two decades have been using the wrong fish.
Researchers say genetic tests show that five of the nine populations believed to be remnants of the greenback were actually the more common Colorado Rivert cutthroat trout.
The study, published online Aug. 28 in Molecular Ecology, says the results imply that more than two decades of trying to save the greenback from extinction haven’t improved the species’ status.
Bruce Rosenlund of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver says federal and state biologists will allow the scientific process to play out. Other researchers will review the study and see if the results can be reproduced.
