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<br />
<br />. Photo by Tom Pruill
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<br />ConstructiDn crews began excavating ,fish ponds in 1993 at the Ouray Endangered Fish Hatchery near Vernal; Utah. A
<br />total of 36 ponds are to be Completed by 1997; Young endangered fish spawned from wild adults can be raised in the
<br />ponds, away from predator fish in the river; When large enough, they can be released back into the river. '
<br />
<br />Fish ponds under construction in Colorado, Utah
<br />
<br />Biologists. striving: to ,reco~er
<br />endangered Colorado River fish have
<br />endorsed the use of "refuge" ponds as
<br />a means of raising the young fish, in a
<br />protected environment. ,
<br />In response; .managers of' the
<br />Recovery Program' for Endangered
<br />Fish of the Upper Colorado Riverhave
<br />provided funding for pond ,excavation '
<br />in Grand Junction and Craig, Colo.,
<br />and Big Wate.]'. and Ouray, Utah.
<br />Biologists will use the waters to main- ,
<br />tain various genetic strains .of endan-
<br />gered razorback, suckers for adult
<br />brood'stock, stocking and research.
<br />"These ponds will give us more
<br />space to hold and protect endangered
<br />fish, which will direcily impact our
<br />ability to recover these species," said,
<br />John Hamiil, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service biologist who directs' the
<br />Recovery Program. . . , '
<br />"We need to have adequate facili-
<br />ties in more' than one location. Then if
<br />an accident occurs at one SIte, we still, '
<br />have a backup populatiDn of fish in
<br />another."
<br />Endangered fish currently are held
<br />in ponds on the Horsethief Canyon
<br />
<br />State Wildlife Area near Fruita, Colo., '
<br />.. ,
<br />the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge
<br />near Vcrnal, Utah; and the Valley City
<br />'National Fish, Hatchery in North
<br />, Dakota.
<br />For the facility in Craig,the
<br />Recovery Program pro~ded $23G,OOO
<br />for four (me-acre ponds to' hold razor-
<br />
<br />,population of 'upper Colorado River
<br />razorbacks as 'well as other endangered
<br />fish: Another $450,000 was set aside to
<br />improve the water supply and add four
<br />more ponds to the hatchery at Ouray,
<br />Utah.
<br />. The number of razorback suckers has ,
<br />dropped dramatically in recent years.'
<br />
<br />
<br />.' . Photo-by Tom !=lruitl
<br />A total of 22 ponds for endangered fish have been cOmpleted at the Ouray Fish
<br />Hatchery, in northern Utah. ' ,
<br />
<br />back suckers from the Green Itiver. In
<br />the Grand Valley, $372,000 was allo-
<br />, cated for leasing up to eight acres of
<br />ponds for upper Colorado River razor' '
<br />backs.
<br />'At the Big Water" Utah, site,'
<br />$600,000 will be spent to excavate four
<br />one-acre ponds. Called the Wahweap,
<br />" .
<br />facilitY, this site will hold a backup
<br />
<br />Upstream of Lake Powell, there are only
<br />about 500 wild adult nizorbacks left.
<br />Researchers believe the primary reason
<br />for the fishes' .decline is habitat loss,
<br />caused by dams, which have blocked
<br />.: fish migration piths and altered river'
<br />flows, and non-native fish, which are
<br />believed to 'compete with and prey upon
<br />endangered fish.
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