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<br />.:. ...;:.; . .,....... .:....:..::". ............. ...
<br />
<br />Eigb(ra,~orback~..'.'.'.. ·
<br />
<br />~olle.ctedf()r'"..'"'.."'i.',.."...'.'...",,....
<br />
<br />broodstbck;studies "
<br />
<br />,"',' ,>rhe '.' c~ pt~rri · of.. ai~zQtll pck.
<br />suckei20o(morejears,old iJear "
<br />Rifle; colo'~\'Ias ilieeighilio(
<br />these .rare.fish coIlectediuid
<br />reri1bvedfrrimthe upper Color3dq
<br />River BasiiJ ihisspring;< "
<br />, ,,','Eacbafthefish was. a,1x;lIit2
<br />feei' long and', has lXien ,estilmited .'.'
<br />.,tabe,at least 30 yearS bId. AiiQUier ,.
<br />,sevenof mefishwere cajJtUry:din '
<br />>theSaiJ JiiaiiRiver aiJdDirty
<br />...~~xrt,Ri veru~r~S;.~~fL~fl:'
<br />
<br />,','",.,' ,''These'flsh" aredi~appe~iing."
<br />"everywhere/' said Doug 'Young; '.~' ,
<br />" J;lureauof.Redanuition biologist
<br />. "Oli r phil6saphyislorem ove
<br />
<br />...~e~e~f~triZ~:iz~J~~:~~~~i,
<br />
<br />,', illihe wJldaie veryaldadUltSUiai
<br />'.' are likdYtb die off in ihe next five .'.,
<br />to, I 5 years, biOJogislssay;As
<br />",these ,adilllsdisappear, ih.eenlire.'
<br />popwatianwiU become e~tinctiri "
<br />mewild,In fa,CI,if ih.enia~ihiirri,
<br />,Jifespan,ofthese fishwaslurelhai
<br />.of rainbOw trQutSllrilyabOlit six "
<br />
<br />..'i~~~&~~~itk:::In:dt::...'..,
<br />".nlzorbacks: 'liiologicalclqckS'
<br />will'" stop.,. tickin g;biilliaseddil.
<br />,~6fe~~jt~j::;v.~j:f:r~~i~ ,',
<br />
<br />ilieBuie aiior Reclamatian, ,"
<br />~;WJIeIlthat hapPeris,ilieY Will no
<br />, langer prodliceyoung, Theirjdic ,"
<br />. Vidual fishwjJlbeCIosertpdeaih
<br />ajidtl1especiesdos<:r to eitinp;
<br />", tiari"BiitOnllieixisitiveside~lhe"
<br />,.fuCtthiitihesefishtanUves619Pg .
<br />
<br />'.i~Jo~~~J:~.n~~:~~~7t~.."
<br />
<br />, .",', Intliidinifish collectedJast.
<br />, 'yeat;lhereare>nOw 28wiidadiiJi
<br />,.'raiorback$ in captlvit:y{romthe .'
<br />ilpper Col()radaRJ"er Basill 2q
<br />!Turn Lake POwellaruLeighl from'
<br />ilieCaloiadoRivefaiid sui'iijiirid-
<br />
<br />,~gt~~;~~;~$~~~r......
<br />
<br />
<br />'These are some of the Pho,o by Bill Hagge",
<br />last fish of their kind in A RARE FINO: Calarada Dlvlslan
<br />.of Wildlife Blalaglst Bill Elmblad
<br />the Colorado River." holds a female razarback sucker
<br />Bill Elmblad --faund In a gravel pIt near Rifle,
<br />Cala. The .only razarbacks left In
<br />the wild are adult tlsh at least 30
<br />years .old,
<br />
<br />Biologists fmd
<br />very old razorback
<br />in Rifle, Colo., pond
<br />
<br />By Bill Haggerty
<br />NW Regian Information Specialist
<br />Colorado Division of Wildlife
<br />Colarado Divisian .of Wildlife fish
<br />bielagisls faund a rare, very .old razar-
<br />back sucker alive and well in a small
<br />pond next ta the Colarada River near
<br />Rifle this spring.
<br />
<br />The fish, a female that Colarada
<br />bialagist Bill Elmblad estimated was
<br />between 35 and 50 years .old, was
<br />faund while he and his crew were
<br />"electro-shecking" the pand ta see
<br />what kind .of fish live there,
<br />
<br />The Divisian and U,S, Fish and
<br />Wildlife Service remaved the fish
<br />from the pond and transported itta a
<br />holding facility an the Celorada River
<br />in Grand Junctian. The fish was then
<br />taken ta the Dexter Natianal Fish
<br />Hatchery in New Mexico ta join ih.e
<br />ather seven endangered razorbacks
<br />that previausly had been retrieved
<br />from Highline Lake, which is about 20
<br />miles narthwest .of Grand Junctian,
<br />and from the Calorada River between
<br />Palisade and Lama, Cola,
<br />
<br />'These are some .of the last fish of
<br />their kind in the Calarada River,"
<br />Elmblad said, "And this is the farthest
<br />up the system we've faund these fish
<br />in recent times, This fish probably left
<br />the river when it flooded in 1983 .or
<br />1984, and entered the .old gravel pit.
<br />Then, when the water receded, it was
<br />stranded, "
<br />
<br />Remeving the fish from the wild
<br />and placing ih.em in protected ponds
<br />allaws researchers to take eggs and
<br />spenn from the adult fish and raise
<br />their yaung in captivity, The fish will
<br />be used to establish a blOOdstock and
<br />for research an their recovery, When
<br />the yaung fish have reached adult-
<br />
<br />5
<br />
<br />
<br />haod, a small number will be stocked
<br />back into the upper Calarada River
<br />system ta test their ability to survive in
<br />ih.ewild,
<br />
<br />Razorback suckers were .once
<br />widespread througheut must .of the
<br />Calerada River system from
<br />Wyaming to Mexica, Dikes fanned
<br />alang riverbanks ta prevent f1aading
<br />anta farmland have eliminated pra-
<br />tected backwaters and pools that bial-
<br />ogists believe razorbacks use during
<br />the spawning season,
<br />
<br />The lass .of these backwaters plus
<br />competitian wiih. another 41 species .of
<br />introduced fish, have spelled trouble
<br />for the razorback, the Calarada
<br />squawfish, humpback chub and bony-
<br />tail chub.
<br />
<br />The razorback evalved mare than 4
<br />millien years aga in the Calarada
<br />River system, One .of the largest suck-
<br />ers in Narth America, the razarback is
<br />listed as endangered under Calarada
<br />and Utah state laws and has been pro-
<br />posed far federal listing under the
<br />Endangered Species Act
<br />
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