The native fish indicator is focused on percent native fish, as well as presence of certain native fish species such as Mountain Whitefish. Fish population monitoring, usually conducted via electrofishing surveys, is typically used to determine fish species composition, density estimates, age or size class distribution, and other metrics related to the health of the fishery.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife actively manages and removes non-native, invasive species to protect the state’s ecosystems and native wildlife. To that end, most of the available fishery data in the Yampa River basin results from non-native species removal efforts as opposed to fish population monitoring efforts. This means that available data does not always paint a clear picture of the relative abundance of different fish species in a particular reach, making it difficult to draw conclusions about the health of the fishery based on existing data alone.

Through the Yampa River Scorecard Project, FOTY and partners are making an effort to collect data regarding fish species presence/absence and relative abundance in locations where existing data are sparse and conditions allow for backpack electroshocking efforts (e.g., smaller headwater reaches or side channels that flow late in the season).