FORT COLLINS – CFI Global Fisheries Management went from an idea rooted in recreation, preservation and science to a multimillion-dollar business that caters to celebrities and customers worldwide.

Aquatic biologist Shannon Skelton started his fish habitat rehab company in 1997 in Fort Collins with a $1,500 computer he bought from his brother. Today, CFI Global employs seven people, including engineers, wetland scientists and ecologists.

All also happen to be devout fly anglers.

CFI Global restores streams, ponds and wetlands so that they can be healthy again. It has done this across the Rocky Mountains as well as in such far-flung locations as Patagonia, Ecuador and Dubai.

Its clients have included ranchers and farmers, celebrities and moguls, including professional golfer Greg Norman, businessman and philanthropist John Malone and Under Armour co-founder Ryan Wood.

It was Norman who liked CFI Global’s work on his ranch near Meeker so much that he invited the team to Dubai for another project.

Skelton’s team specializes in turning a stream damaged by livestock overgrazing to an A+ fishery.

Cattle that spend a great deal of time near streams can