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Photos courtesy of Thomas Taylor, Wydoaki and Ylhilney PLENTIFUL 'ENDANGERED' FISH? Neither Sacramento squawflsh, found In the Sacramento River Basin In California, nor northern squawllsh, which live In the COlumbia River In Oregon and Washington, are endangered. But these two fish are entirely different species from COlorado squawflsh, lust as golden eagles are different from bald eagles and grizzly bellrs are different from black bears. OLD TIME COLORADO SQUAWFISH: In this 1930s photo, 8-year-old Max Stewart stands with a 25- pound COlorado squawflsh he caught In the Green River near Jensen, Utah. Unlike either the Sacramento or northern squawflsh, Colorado squawflsh can grow to nearly 6 feet long and weigh up to 80 pounds. Photo courtesy or Dale and Max Slewart Common questions about Colorado River endangered fish (Editor's note.' The questions and answers below are from an informa- tion packet preparedfor the media.) Which fish SpecieS are natlvB to the upper colorado River Basin? Only 14 species of fish are native to the upper Colorado: the Colorado squawfish, humpback. chub, bonytai1 chub, razorback sucker, Colorado Riyer cutthroat trout, Rocky Mountain whitefish, roundtail chub, speckled dace, Kendall Warm Springs dace, flanne1mouth sucker, mountain sucker, blue head sucker, mottled sculpin and paiute sculpin. Why Is there so much concern about Colorado squawffsh when other squawflsh are abundant In California and' the Pacific Northwest? The answer is simple: Just as the gOlden eagle and bald eagle are dif- ferent species, the squawfish found in California and the Pacific Northwest are distinct species from the Colorado squawfish, Each fish species evolved in a different riyer system and now has different characteristics and dif- ferent responses to enyironmenta1 changes. None of the other species - the northern squawfish (also called Columbia Riyer squawfish), Sacramento squawfish and Umpqua squawfish - has been known to grow as large as Colorado squaw fish. which historically reached lengths of 6 feel Also, the other species are doing well despite habitat alterations from construction of dams and introduc- tions of non-native fish sPecies. The northern squawfish originally evo1yed in lakes and appears to adapt easily to man-make reservoirs. In fact, unlike Colorado squawfish, northern squawfish prey effectiye1y on game fish and often become the dominant species in reseryoirs, despite biologists' efforts to limit their population sizes. 6 How has the Recovery Program affected spon ffshlng In the upper COlorado River and ns tributaries? Introductions of non-native fish such as channel catfish, northern pike, large and sma1Imouth bass, green sun- fish, black crappie and white crappie have been significantly reduced in the upper Colorado River Basin because of possible competition with and pre- dation on native fish. But rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout still are stocked in higher eleva- tions of the upper Colorado Riyer and its tributaries. Trout are cold-water fish that prefer temperatures 10 to 15 degrees cooler than those in down- stream river sections where endan- gered fish are found. Because they tend to live in different pans of the river, trout and the endangered fish are not considered competitors. Stocking of non-native fish species is confined to areas where there is no potential conflict with rare or endan- gered fish.