Colorado Parks and Wildlife has message for anglers: Please stop taking selfies with fish

Colorado Parks and Wildlife would like you to know that the trout do not want to be in your Instagram photo. Not right now, anyway.

CPW is asking anglers across the state to stop removing fish from the water for photographs as extreme heat and drought push rivers to dangerously warm temperatures. The plea is part of a broader set of voluntary fishing closures that have been rolling out across Colorado, affecting rivers including the Animas through Durango, the San Juan through Pagosa Springs, the Dolores below McPhee Dam, and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison, as well as Cochetopa and Tomichi creeks.

Here’s the science behind the selfie ban: When water temperatures approach or exceed 71 degrees — which is happening on rivers across the state right now — fish become severely stressed. Their oxygen levels drop, their ability to recover from being caught plummets, and the extra 30 seconds it takes to hold a trout in the air while you find the right angle and lighting can be the difference between a catch-and-release and just a catch. CPW can enact mandatory fishing closures when daily maximum water temperatures exceed 71 degrees, and several rivers are hovering right at that threshold.

The voluntary closures are in effect daily from noon to midnight on affected rivers, meaning anglers are being asked to fish early and get off the water by midday. CPW aquatic biologist Kade Jackson said the closures “help protect the fish during periods of elevated stress associated with reduced oxygen levels experienced during warmer summer months.” Beyond skipping the photo op, CPW is also advising anglers to use heavier line to land fish quickly, wet their hands before handling any fish, carry a handheld thermometer and have a backup fishing location planned in case their first spot is too warm.

It’s all part of the same heat wave that’s buckling pavement in Boulder, sparking squirrel-induced wildfires in Douglas County and generally reminding Colorado that July is not messing around this year. So if you catch a beautiful rainbow trout on the Animas this weekend, congratulations — just keep it in the water, unhook it gently and tell the internet about it later. The fish will thank you. Quietly. From underwater.