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U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Fish & Wildlife Service For more information contact: Public Affairs U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 P.O. Box 25486, DFC Denver, CO 80225 303-236-7904 Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius) Status: o Listed as endangered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1967; given full protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 o Endangered under Colorado law since 1976 o Listed as "protected" in Utah since 1973 o On Arizona list of threatened and endangered species since 1975 o Listed as endangered by California since 1971 o Listed as endangered by Nevada since 1969 o On New Mexico list of threatened and endangered wildlife since 1975 o Colorado Squawr.sh Recovery Plan approved March 16, 1978; revised August 6, 1991 Descriation: The Colorado squawf'lSh is a torpedo-shaped r.sh with an olive-green and gold back and silvery belly. Historically, Colorado squawfish grew to nearly 6 feet long and more than 80 pounds and may have lived 50 or more years. This is the largest member of the minnow family. Early settlers called the fISh "white salmon" or "Colorado salmon." Colorado squawfish are thought to have evolved more that 3 million years ago. Nativ~ Colorado squawf"lSh stocks survive only in the Upper BlISin, where their nwnbers are relatively high only in the Green and Vampa rivers. Distribution: Colorado squawf"lSh were once abundant in the mainstem of the Colorado River and most of its ml\.ior tributaries in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico. Now, there may be as few as 10,000 adult Colorado squawf'lSh in the wild. They exist primarily in the Green River below the confluence with the Yampa River below Craig, Colorado, the White River from Taylor Draw Dam near Rangely downstream to the confluence with the Green River, and the Colorado River from Palisade, Colorado, downstream to Lake Powell. Hatchery reared fISh have been reintroduced in the Salt and Verde rivers as part of recovery efforts in Arizona. Habitat: Colorado squawf"lSh spawn in white water canyons. This reproduction is associated with declining flows in June, July, or August when temperatures reach about 22 degrees Celsius. After spawning, the. adults use a variety of habitats including eddies, backwaters, shorelines, and otbers. In spring and early swnmer, adults also use lowlands that are inundated during typical spring flooding. Once the newly hatched fISh emerge from the spawning substrates, they enter the drift and are known to drift for 6 days and average distances of about 100 miles.