BOARD00038 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 9/20/2006
• Description: WSP Section - San Juan River Recovery Implementation Program Document Revisions
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Colorado Pikeminnow

In 2003, the Program finalized an Augmentation Plan for Colorado pikeminnow in the San Juan
River. The augmentation plan called for annually stocking > 300,000 age-O Colorado
pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) into the San Juan River for seven years (2003-2009) in order
to facilitate establishing a population of> 800 adult Colorado pikeminnow in the river between
the Animas River confluence and Lake Powell (i.e., within the riverine portion of Colorado
pikeminnow critical habitat in the San Juan River). The first stocking occurred in October 2002
while the augmentation plan was still in draft form. At that time, the draft augmentation plan
called for 250,000 age-O fish to be stocked annually (this number was increased to > 300,000
age-O fish in the final version of the plan). In the summer of 2002, a contract was established
with the Dexter National Fish Hatchery to provide > 300,000 age-O Colorado pikeminnow for
stocking throughout the duration of this augmentation effort. Between 2002 and 2004, a total of
666,346 age-O Colorado pikeminnow from the Dexter National Fish Hatchery were stocked into
the San Juan River. The augmentation plan called for 850,000 age-O fish to be stocked over this
same time period. This represented a shortfall of 183,654 in the number of fish stocked over the
three-year period. In addition to stocking age-O fish between 2002 and 2004, the Program
obtained two lots of age-I and age-2 Colorado pikeminnow from the 1. W. Mumma Native
Species Hatchery (Mumma) in Alamosa, Colorado. From these lots, 1,005 age-I fish (2002 year-
class) were stocked into the San Juan River on November 6, 2003, and 1,219 age-2 fish (2002
year-class) were stocked into the river on June 9,2004. While the recapture rate among Mumma
fish stocked in 2003 (i.e., age-I) is low, the short-term recapture rate among Mumma fish
stocked in 2004 (i.e., age-2's) was relatively high.

Pursuant to the stocking plan and the Program's genetics management plan for Colorado
pikeminnow, the objectives for Colorado pikeminnow augmentation included:

1. producing and rearing genetically-appropriate lots of Colorado pikeminnow at the
Dexter National Fish Hatchery;

2. annually stocking 300,000 age-O Colorado pikeminnow in the San Juan River; and

3. annually stocking 3,000 age-l Colorado pikeminnow in the San Juan River.

Research and Monitoring

Standardized, quantitative monitoring of San Juan River endangered fish species populations is
necessary to document the Program's progress toward achieving the recovery goals for the San
Juan River populations of Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker set by the US Fish and
Wildlife Service in the recovery plans approved for the species in 2002, and to evaluate the
management actions taken by the Program to reach these recovery goals under the policy of
adaptive management. To the extent possible, habitat monitoring should be closely coordinated
and integrated with population monitoring to allow assessment of changing habitat availability
and fish use in response to management actions and population recovery. Program research must
be in support of recovery actions, be based on scientifically-sound and testable hypotheses, and
be directly relevant to endangered fish species recovery goals.

Objectives for the Program's monitoring activities include:

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