The City of Steamboat Springs, in collaboration with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, is implementing a voluntary closure on a portion of Fish Creek, as well as the pool at the confluence with the Yampa River.

A small section at the confluence of the Yampa River and Fish Creek, as well as a portion of Fish Creek, will be under a voluntary closure starting Friday and running through the end of the month and possibly into November, depending upon water flows and river conditions.

This closure is being implemented as a management tool to help protect the fragile native mountain whitefish population during their annual spawn migration and concentration. The mountain whitefish population of the Yampa River has declined to very concerning levels, thus it’s imperative that fish are protected during spawning time.

The voluntary closure runs roughly 100 feet upstream and 200 feet downstream on the Yampa River, as well as up Fish Creek to the Safeway bridge (roughly 0.3 miles). Signage is in place to alert river users of the voluntary closure in this area.

As part of the Yampa River Health Assessment and Streamflow Management Plan, adopted in 2018, the
city, along with its partners, is committed to protecting native fish populations from further decline, and the specific focus on whitefish in Fish Creek is one of the ways to accomplish this goal.