Once widely distributed in rivers and streams across northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, the Rio Grande cutthroat is now found across a mere 10 percent of its historical range. One is an embattled native, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis), distinguished by its cream-colored skin, mottling of black spots and a vibrant orange slash under the jaw. Occasionally, though, Miller’s handle bends sharply as he nets a hunchbacked specimen of 16 inches or more-apex predators gorged on smaller fish, in this waterway scarcely wider than a city sidewalk. Stunned, they drift to the surface just long enough for Miller to net them and deposit them in Field’s bucket. While the crew’s rubber boots insulate them from the shock, the resident fish are exposed to the electrical current. This, Miller dips into the creek, squeezing the handle to send some 300 volts through the water.
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