Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius)

The Colorado pikeminnow is the largest minnow in North America and is an endangered fish in the Colorado River thought to have evolved more than 3 million years ago. Called the “white salmon” by early settlers due to its migratory behavior, the Colorado pikeminnow has a torpedo-shaped body and a large, toothless mouth. It has an olive-green and gold back and a silvery-white belly.

    Growth

    Colorado pikeminnow grow to up to 5 feet long and historically, grew up to 80 pounds!

    Life Span

    Colorado pikeminnow can live 50 years or more!

    They look like a distant cousin, the northern pikeminnow, in the Pacific Northwest.

     

    Predator

    Colorado pikeminnow is the only native predator in the Colorado River basin.

    It has teeth not in its mouth, but in its throat, swallowing prey whole. 

    They eat fish, frogs, mice, and anything else they can fit in their mouths.

     

    Reproduction

    Colorado pikeminnow have to be at least 7 years old before they reproduce.

    When they do lay eggs, they are sticky, settling into little spaces in between rocks on spawning bars.

    Migration

    Colorado pikeminnow migrate more than 200 miles a year to find good spawning grounds and then good food to fatten up for winter.

    As an endemic species, they are found only in the Green, Colorado and San Juan subbasins upstream of Lake Powell.

    The Colorado pikeminnow was a valued food source by early settlers. Dale Stewart of Vernal, Utah, caught a 25-pound Colorado pikeminnow in 1937. He reminisced about the fish’s food value. “You can see how you cut steaks off that thing,” he said. “I remember a fish like that really was a harvest, and it produced not just one meal, but quite a few meals for the family.” 

    Much has changed for Colorado pikeminnow. Today, populations are declining. Researchers commonly see adult Colorado pikeminnow that are 2 to 3 feet in length instead of 5 feet. Colorado pikeminnow are struggling with declining streamflow and extensive nonnative fish populations. Slow growth rates and a long time to maturity mean it will take a long time to see improvements even after we implement recovery actions.

    When fishing, we ask that if you catch a Colorado pikeminnow in the wild to please use best practices when handling it for release. You never know–you may have caught a fish that’s older than you are!

    Status

    • Listed as endangered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1967; given full protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
    • Listed as endangered under Colorado law in 1976; status changed to threatened in 1998.
    • Protected under Utah law since 1973.
    USFWS biologist Ben Schleicher displaying a Colorado Pikeminnow captured on the Colorado River near Grand Junction Colorado while conducting native fish surveys
    USFWS biologist Jason Davis holding a Colorado pikeminnow collected on the San Juan River near Farmington New Mexico
    Zach Ehrens displaying an endangered Colorado pikeminnow collected on the Colorado River near Moab Utah
    Danielle Tremblay holding a Colorado pikeminnow collected on the Colorado River in Grand Junction
    USFWS biologist Bobby Duran displaying a Colorado Pikeminnow captured on the San Juan River near Farmington New Mexico while conducting native fish surveys
    USFWS biologist Ernie Teller displaying a captured Colorado Pikeminnow before releasing it back into the San Juan River
    U.S Fish and Wildlife biologist Travis Francis holds a large Colorado pikeminnow captured on the Colorado River during research and monitoring efforts.
    Ben Schleicher and Darek Elverud with USFWS displaying two Colorado Pikeminnow that swam through the Redlands Diversion Dam Fish Passage before releasing them into the Gunnison River 3 Aug 2016
    A photo of a Colorado Pikeminnow that was captured in the Redlands Diversion Dam Fish Passage on the Gunnison River in Orchard Mesa Colorado August 2015
    CPW biologist Lori Martin displaying a Colorado Pikeminnow captured on the Colorado River near Grand Junction Colorado while conducting native fish surveys
    Tildon Jones with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holding a large Colorado Pikeminnow captured on the Green River while conducting population estimates
    Rick Smaniotto with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holding a large Colorado Pikeminnow that swam up the Redlands Diversion Dam Fish Passage on the Gunnison River in Orchard Mesa Colorado

     

    Colorado Pikeminnow Story Map

     The Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative, founded in 2017 by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources identifies and protects connective corridors that allow fish and wildlife to migrate to necessary habitat areas around Utah. The Initiative uses state-of-the-art technology to identify migration and movement patterns for numerous native species. To learn more about Colorado pikeminnow, check out the Story Map below that was produced by the Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative.

    Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative
    Click to view the Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative Colorado Pikeminnow Story Map