9483 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Section I. General Background The declining numbers of some endemic Colorado River fishes is attributed to the lack of recruitment. Although some of these long lived fish species spawn successfully and produce larvae, high mortality during early life history stages reduces recruitment. Predation and competition by established self sustaining populations of non native fishes and chronic escapement from off channel impoundments are factors that have been identified with increased mortality and limited recruitment. Presently the razorback sucker (Xvrauchen texanus), bony tail chub (Gila elagans), and humpback chub (Gila cvpha) , and Colorado squawfish (ftychocheilus lucius) are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. A recovery Program for endangered fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin was endorsed through a cooperative agreement by the United States Secretary of the Interior and the Governors of the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah in 1988. One of the five major elements identified in the recovery program includes "Management of non- native species and sportfishing". This program includes prevention and reduction of escapement of reproducing non native fish species from off channel impoundments stocked to provide sportfishing opportunities. Control of escapement of non native warm water fish species that are stocked in the upper Colorado River basin will reduce the potential for competition and predation on endangered fishes. Program participants identified that within the upper Colorado River basin both private and public water bodies contain and support non native fishes that present problems for endangered species recovery. The majority of standing water present within designated critical habitat is privately owned and served with fish for stocking by the commercial aquaculture industry. Surveys completed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture in 1994 indicate that the majority of warm water fish stocking activity that occurs on the western slope of Colorado is completed by the commercial aquaculture industry at the request of private landowners. Any policy that is developed to curtail or eliminate popular warmwater sport fish from being stocked will impact these two groups significantly. This effort is designed to identify the impacts to these groups, provide recommendations that would reduce impacts and facilitate policy implementation, and to identify the number and character of private ponds potentially required for inclusion in recovery efforts for the endangered fishes of the upper Colorado River basin. 2