8109

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8109
• Author: Mitchell, M. J.
• Title: Impact of the Proceedures for Stocking Non Native Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin on Private Landowners and the Commercial Aquaculture Industry
• USFW Year: n.d.
• USFW - Doc Type: Inventory of Public and Private Ponds Along the Upper Colorado and Lower Gunnison Rivers in Colorado-Draft.
• Copyright Material: NO

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• Implementation of the procedures and a landowner incentive program will create demand
for additional fishery consulting ,design, planning, reclamation, and product services.
Private sector fisheries service businesses can benefit from the increased demand if the
program is designed to utilize private sector professionals only.
Industry Development Impacts:
• The procedures impact the development of private aquaculture facilities within the 6504
msl zone by requiring an additional time consuming review process for virtually all
nonsalmonid fish species. Furthermore, this review process for aquaculture facility use of
nonnative warmwater species is not defined and is not adequately addressed through the
proposed "AFS policy".
• Table 1 appears to eliminate the ability of wastewater treatment plants to use fathead
minnows for bioassay if they are located within the 50 year floodplain without individual
proposal and case by case review. This will increase wastewater treatment costs.
Policy mitigation recommendations for the commercial aquaculture industry
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• Develop and fund a full time equivalent position within Colorado State Government to
provide permit review, case by case review, and stocking request responses for fish
stocking and aquaculture development activities. This position should have duties
prioritized to allow the private sector the necessary amount of time to afford compliance.
• Identify, fund, and facilitate market development plans for aquaculture products to replace
those lost by the private aquaculture industry due to this policy. Examples include:
funding continued disease inspection/certification services to allow corninued expansion of
Coldwater and warmwater fish markets elsewhere; allow private sector fish producers the
opportunity to serve state, federal, and tribal fish stacking requirements; and/or require all
live sportfish used to satisfy any landowner incentive program resulting from this recovery
plan must be procured from the private Colorado Aquaculture Industry.
• Eliminate the 6500 msl elevation criteria to reduce the impact area and only restrict
stocking activities within designated critical habitat.
• Allow the private sector aquaculture community an opportunity to produce and distribute
these endangered fishes to increase the availability offish while reducing the risk of having
all production fish in the program in one or two facilities.
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