8123

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8123
• Author: Wydoski, R. S.
• Title: Coordinated Hatchery Facility Plan
• USFW Year: 1994.
• USFW - Doc Type: Need for Captive-Reared Endangered Fish and Propagation Facilities.
• Copyright Material: NO

Specific Recommendation 4. Revisit endangered fish and hatchery
facility needs annually to direct Program propagation efforts because
new information on stock identification and characterization, status
and trends, genetics, ecological requirements, fish passage, fish
response to habitat enhancement, etc. will probably influence Program
needs. The Biology Committee agreed to a phased-approach with an
annual review of endangered fish and hatchery facility needs to meet
short-term and long-term RIP goals and objectives. Long-term (> 5
years) needs must be identified with adequate lead time for fish
production.
Specific Recommendation 5. The Propagation Subcommittee should be
given the Program responsibility for providing recommendations
regarding the culture of the endangered Colorado River fishes.
The members of this subcommittee have expertise in the culture of
fishes that should be used in making decisions regarding the
propagation of the endangered fishes.
The Colorado River Fishery Project staff in Vernal UT captured 14 adult
razorback suckers (7 (5 and 74) from the Escalante Ranch-Green River
reach during the spring of 1993. Seven males and two females were mated
to produce 14 family lots. One cross did not produce any offspring. Of
13 family lots in captivity, 10 contain sufficient progeny to develop
broodstocks following the Program breeding strategy in Figure 3.
Twenty-five family lots of razorback suckers were obtained by mating
individual adults from the upper Colorado River (Etter Pond) stock and
reared at the Research Fish Hatchery in Bellvue CO. The progeny from 16
family lots (total = 1,672 fish) remain at the Bellvue facility. These
fish will be reared at Bellvue until they are large enough to be PIT-
tagged and then will be transferred to refuge ponds at the Horsethief
State Wildlife Area CO until the broodstock is needed to meet Program
requirements.
Only three wild adult razorback suckers were captured from the Upper
Colorado River in 1993 and were placed in captivity in a pond at the
Horsethief State Wildlife Area CO.
If sufficient adult razorback suckers cannot be collected from the Upper
Colorado River, the stock that would be considered the nearest neighbor
is the presumptive stock in the Colorado River Arm of Lake Powell. Three
males and two females from this stock are presently in captivity at the
Ouray Endangered Fish Facility and will be spawned during the spring of
1994 to produce six family lots.
2. Bonvtail. Obtain fertilized eggs from 25 pedigreed matings from the
broodstock being maintained at the Dexter National Fish Hatchery NM to
begin development of a broodstock. See Section V.E.2. for an explanation
of using Lake Mohave bonytails for broodstock development.
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