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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />a. Green River (RM 0 - 345) <br />b. Colorado River (RM -16 - 170) <br /> <br />The priorities identified below will be re-examined following <br />completion of Section 7 consultation on Flaming Gorge and Blue Mesa <br />Reservoirs to determine if additional water needs to be acquired in <br />these priority reaches to meet the instream flow requirements of the <br />rare fishes in the Green and Colorado Rivers. <br /> <br />3. Other factors which may affect the opportunity or practicality of <br />acquiring water rights such as cost or availability of water rights, <br />legal constraints, political constraints, etc. were not considered in <br />the assignment of priorities. It is anticipated that the <br />Implementation Committee will evaluate these factors in making its <br />final recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior. <br /> <br />The biological importance of different segments of the Yampa, White, and <br />Colorado Rivers for the four rare fishes is identified in Attachment I. <br />Attachment 1, which was taken from Appendix 6.3 of the Recovery Program (FWS <br />1987(a)), provides information regarding the location and time-of-year flows <br />are needed, on a priority basis. This information is provided to assist the <br />Implementation Committee further prioritize areas for acquiring water rights <br />on the Yampa, White, and Colorado Rivers. <br /> <br />Results of the evaluation are described below. <br /> <br />Priority I <br />Yampa River (RM 0-140) <br /> <br />I. Biological Significance of the Reach <br /> <br />Colorado Sauawfish - The Yampa River is an extremely important river to the <br />Colorado squawfish. Catch rates of adult and sub-adult fish, which occupy the <br />reach year-round, are high when compared with most other areas of occupied <br />habitat in the basin. The Yampa River also contains one of two known spawning <br />areas in the Colorado River Basin and is a major producer of fish for the <br />entire Green River basin. The importance of the Yampa to Colorado squawfish <br />is reflected by the sensitive reach designations assigned to the Yampa River <br />by the UCRB Biology Subcommittee (1984): <br />- distribution/occurrence (RM 0 -140) <br />adult concentration area (RM 51-124) <br />migration route (RM 0 - 140) <br />- confirmed spawning area (RM 4-31) <br />- suspected spawning area (RM 0-4) <br />larval fish collection area (RM 0-21) <br /> <br />The Colorado River Fishes Recovery Team (FWS 1987b) has identified the Yampa <br />River as one of the essential habitat areas that must be protected before the <br />Colorado squawfish can be considered eligible for delisting. <br /> <br />3 <br />