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<br /> <br />~\ <br />~ ""',: <br />f\l.:~~fj~~~,~#!r( ~.~ <br />.>.~.t~<~.~~~t~L~ . <br /> <br />l <br />u <br />qt <br />. <br />~ <br />, <br /> <br />Colorado squawfish (Plychoche,lus luc/us) <br />Nonh AlIlt:riCiI's I;HgC'il minnow, Colorialo <br />~qllilwnsh once grew 10 nearly 0 feet long anti were <br />C~I\lCU "while s,llllllln" or "Colorado salmon" by <br />~arly ~r.:ll11.;rs. HislUricillly, (hes!..: voracious prco.:Hms <br />JOlllinalcu the Colorado River system. <br /> <br />Razorback sucker (Xyrauchen fexanus) <br />Razorback sllC.:kcrs ci.ln grow 10 nHBC Iban J feet <br />and 41re one of the lilrgeS[ slickers in Norlh America. <br />h.:w if ;lny young r:Jzorbacks are Ie!"! in tile wild. <br /> <br />Bony tail chub (Gila elegans) <br />13unYlilil chuhs c[ln grow 10 24 inches or mon.:: <br />;jIIJ CUll Jive nearly 50 years. Wild bonyluils are <br />IlcJrly cXlincl. <br /> <br />Humpback chub (Gila cypha) <br />TIle pronounced hump hehind lis hctlJ gives lhe <br />hutnph~ICk chuh a striking, unusual app~<lrance. This <br />minllow C<11l grow 10 nearly 20 inches (Jntl may <br />surviv~ more lhal1 30 years. <br /> <br />~' <br />: . Ci:l \) COlORADO <br />, =-./ SOUAWFI5H <br /> <br />i A ROUNDTAll <br />~CHUD <br />"''''''''O'l'",,'.om 0' ~,~ <br /> <br />..,,~I" r~ .~~. 0' ~I' <br /> <br />,\ngln.. ilia) t"lIl1rll..t.: YlIlllIg ("111111';1(10 ...qllawlhh with <br />!"lIulldl:lil dlllh.... Tilt.: kt.:y dilh:n:lH:e i... 111;11 the rfllllldl;Jil'.. <br />1I1111l111 C\ll'lul.. juSlllIlhl' fnlllluflhe l'll'. Thc '>lImlt uf the <br />:'>ljll:n\lhh j:., Illll~er, and ils thick 1"011.11.:1\ lips exlcnt' ill Ihe <br />n'aruflhcc}"c. <br /> <br />Tlw ColoraJo River <br /> <br />Th~ Coloraoo anu its trihulilrics lIli.lkc up Olll: 01" <br />the world's mosl colorful river syslelll'>, From the <br />high mountains or Wyoming al\J Colorado, the river <br />drops more th,lIl two miles ill clCv.llion on ;J. 1,7()()- <br />mile journey 10 (he Gulf of California. For long <br />stretches, the river SYSI~1ll is lmllllllcd hy reu canyon <br />wi.llb. Flows IllH.:luiltc witlcly flOJ1l season In season <br />and year 10 year. For example, hisloric flows .11 <br />Yu Ill<l , Ariz., rilllged from a few thousand cuhic feet <br />per second In nearly 400,000, II took wug,h, <br />;'1(..laplable creatures III survive ill l!lis river syslclll. <br /> <br />Endangered lish dlslrlbullon map <br /> <br /> <br />o'".,~u <br />::;::':.;:'~::;.:'::7~ <br /> <br />I, <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />Olll'l' ahundanl ill thc Culllr:ulu m"l'r Ua..in, Ihl...l' li..h <br />1l1lW arc ('uund unty in ....CI-t,lill 1Itll.titlll... C11' ~C1IllC ..hc!"';. <br /> <br />Release them alive <br /> <br />If you calch ;,my rl~h you ennnol identify, please <br />retllrn ilta the Willer alive. If possible, It.:ilvc the fish <br />in the w,l1er while gently removing the hook. On not <br />squeeze Ihe fish or put your fingers in ils gills. If lhe <br />houk is deeply embc:t1ded, cut lhe line insle<lu of <br />pulling oul the hook. Hold the !ish facing upstream <br />ant.! slowly move it forw;lru ilnd back in the watcr. <br />Then release the fish in qllicl WOller. <br />If the fish is wgged, pkilse report the tag number <br />and colnr 10 Ihe Colorado Divi,ion of Wildlife, om) <br />248-7175, or Ulilh Divi,...ion or Wilt.lJilc Resources, <br />(801) 538-4700, rine, lip to $100.000 arc possible <br />for willfully deslroying cndangt.:red fish. <br /> <br />Why are these fish endangered? <br />\~-~i <br /> <br /> <br />Water <br />development <br />Dam.., ilnd <br />ciJn;lls have <br />heen COll- <br />.... I rue I l.: U <br />througl1nlll <br />lh~ Colorado <br />RivLr rLlsin <br />to provIde <br />Willer for power, illigalioll .md public waleT SUpplii'::-' <br />These w.ller projecls have restriLled the lish 10 ;thOUI <br />25 pCICCIH of their range, blocked Sllm!.: "'p,lwlIlllg <br />migr~ltion rGules and cooletl lhe waler illlJ1lcLii:llely <br />downstream of the dams. Also, many of Ihe rivcr...' <br />hb<Jckw<uers" needed by young fish have disilppcan:L1. <br /> <br /> <br />Non-native <br />fish <br />Spar( a"d <br />b<.li( flsh have <br />been intro- <br />duced into <br />rivers, Inkcs <br />and reser- <br />voirs. Non- <br />native fish <br />compete with nalive fi!'h for food and space and lllilY <br />prey on the eggs :md young of ent.l.mgered \ish. The 14 <br />native Colorat.lo River fish now have 10 COl11pCl~ with <br />more than 40 non-nalive species. <br />Rainbow, brown and ClIlthroal trout are slill <br />stocked in higher elcv.ltions of the Colorauo RivL'r <br />and its tributaries. Trout prefer coluer walers and .lIe <br />not considered competitors wilh cnt.langcrcd fi....h. <br /> <br />Other factors <br />Some nJtive fish may be killed iil'Clde/11ally hy <br />anglers. And in the mitl-1960s, the chc.:micill rolenon~ <br />was used. in porlions or the upper Colorildo River <br />Basin la reduce native fish numbers anti mak~ way for <br />non-native sport !ish. BUl researchers helieve II1IS hall <br />no lasting effect on n<ltivc fish POpuli.llions. <br />Glher possible problems include pollut"lon and <br />pnmsilcs, and among chubs, hyhridiziltion. <br />