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There’s a ladder for fish in northern Colorado, and it has a use beyond just being adorable

Colorado Parks and Wildlife built a fish ladder in the Cache la Poudre River in northern Colorado, and they're microchipping the aquatic creatures to make sure they use it.

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — If you’re the type of person who could watch animal videos on Twitter for hours (I’m talking about myself here), the concept of a “fish ladder” is kind of delightful.

Seriously … check out this video:

And this one from Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

The purpose of the ladder is to reconnect a portion of the Poudre River that was fragmented by a dam. It’s important because there’s actually a spawning habitat here – and this idea could spread to other parts of the area.

What the ladder does is allow fish to freely travel up and downstream without impacting water delivery to the Front Range.

Basically, it’s a win for humans and fish.

Of course, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has motivations in the project beyond just letting the fish do their thing freely. Wildlife officials will research how the animals use the ladders through microchipping, and keep track of where they are.

By the way, if you happen to be fishing and catch one with a microchip, you're actually supposed to return the chip. Send it to:

CPW Fort Collins Office

Attn: Kyle Battige or Eric Richer

317 W. Prospect Road

Fort Collins, Colo., 80526

WATCH: Next Question: What do you do if you catch fish with microchips?

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