FERRON, Utah (AP) - Utah wildlife officials have released 20,000 Colorado River cutthroat trout in central Utah as part of an ongoing project to preserve the native species.
The fish were raised at a state-run hatchery from eggs taken from Duck Fork Reservoir.
Colorado River cutthroats are the only trout species native to the Colorado River Basin. Biologists have worked for years to preserve the species and keep it off the federal endangered species list.
In June, the Division of Wildlife Resources collected about 64,000 eggs from female cutthroats in Duck Fork Reservoir. Of those, about 30,000 were raised at a hatchery.
Earlier this month, about 10,000 finger-sized fish were put back into Duck Fork Reservoir and another 10,000 were placed in the White River. The remaining fish will go into Millsite Reservoir near Ferron.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
