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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It is the intent of the Procedures for the Stocking of Non native Fish in the Upper Colorado River to reduce the distribution and escapement into the river of competing non native fish in the upper basin designated critical habitat. The procedures require various levels of review before most species of non native fish can be stocked into waters contained within the 100 year floodplain of designated critical habitat. It is reasonable to assume that a number of ponds and reservoirs within critical habitat will be found unacceptable for non native fish stocking. The procedures will reduce the ability of landowners and managers to initiate and maintain sport fisheries that have historically been based on non native species. Ownership of ponds contained within critical habitat along the Colorado River is 73% private and along the Gunnison River it is 44% private. The supply of non native fish to these ponds is provided by the 42 licensed private aquaculture suppliers in Colorado. The procedures implemented in designated critical habitat will impact the land area responsible for 38% of the west slope fish sales completed in 1993. Expansion of the land area to include the 6500 msl buffer zone would increase the impact area to 58% of sales in 1993. Mitigation can be completed that would reduce impacts to private landowners and the commercial aquaculture industry while allowing sufficient progress in the recovery of endangered fishes. This effort identified 287 pond owners that own 308 ponds comprising 878 surface acres of standing water. The distributionfor each river is 242 pond owners owning 253 ponds along the Colorado River and 45 owners that own 61 ponds along the Gunnision River. Survey efforts indicate the 24.5% of the ponds utilize the river as their principal water supply, all other utilize a combination of sources other than river water. Pond owners responding to a questionnaire indicated that 20% of ponds communicate each year while 40% communicate at least 1 in 10 years with the river via pond outlets. They also stated 7.5% never communicate. Twenty percent of ponds along the Gunnison flooded during 1984 while 7.5% flooded along the Colorado in either 1983 or 1995. Fish are present in 32% of reporting ponds along the Colorado representing 42% of the surface area of water present. Fish are present in 10% of the ponds reporting representing 4% of the surface area of water identified along the Gunnison River. All ponds reporting indicated warm water fish were present. Fish species distribution is dominated by largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), black crappie (pomoxis nigromaculatus), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus gairdneri) and catfish (Ictalurus spp.) These species were each present in 10-20% of the ponds reporting. Other species identified as present include triploid grass carp (Ctenopharongodon idella), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), fathead minnows (pimephales promelas), brown trout (Salmo trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), suckers and threatened /endangered fish. These species were each present in less than 10% of the ponds reporting. Fish stocking activities in the last 5 years occured on 4% of the waters comprising 20% of the surface area identified. 1