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<br />Colorado squawfish. Presently, the bottom shape and contour of both of these <br />ponds does not allow them to drain entirely following runoff. Thus, while used <br />by endangered fish during runoff, if left contoured as the ponds presently are, <br />they will continue to provide perennial havens for nonnative fishes and sources <br />for nonnative fishes to escape to the mainstem river. Recontouring and reshaping <br />the bottom of these two ponds would allow seasonal flooding and draining to <br />eliminate perennial habitat for nonnative fishes while at the same time <br />maintaining floodplain habitat to be used during the spring and early summer for <br />sub-adult and adult Colorado squawfish; and 6) use deeper depression ponds in the <br />floodplain as grow.out ponds for captive-rearing of endangered fishes. Grow.out <br />ponds could provide a "half.way house" for captive-reared razorback sucker <br />juveniles to increase growth and familiarize them to macroinvertebrates so that <br />they may become better foragers following stocking in the river. If deep- <br />depression habitats cannot be rehabilitated by recontouring and reshaping to <br />provide seasonal, ephemeral habitat, or sloped to concentrate and harvest <br />captive-reared fish, they should be sufficiently diked to prevent escapement of <br />nonnative fishes such as centrarchids and ictalurids. <br /> <br />xi <br />