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<br />If sufficient adult endangered fish are available and removal from the wild <br />will not jeopardize the genetic characteristics of the founder stock, a <br />minimum target of 50 adults (25 males and 25 females) should be used to <br />develop broodstocks since the likelihood of inbreeding will be minimized. <br />Broodstocks will be developed through paired matings that produce pedigreed <br />family lots. An inbreeding rate of 1% was estimated for an effective <br />population size of 50 fish that is considered to be acceptable for maintaining <br />the genetic diversity of wild fish stocks. <br />When stocks are low, a minimum breeding strategy using a 5 X 5 di-allele cross <br />will be used to develop broodstocks. A 5 X 5 breeding strategy has an <br />effective population size of 10 fish and an estimated inbreeding rate of 5%. <br />In the event that 5 males and 5 females are not available, a factorial mating <br />will be used to capture the genetic contribution from all fish of the least <br />numerous sex. However, additional wild adults will be used to supplement the <br />broodstock that are developed from a 5 X 5 or factorial cross when they are <br />available to increase the effective population size that will, in turn, reduce <br />the estimated inbreeding rate. <br />Adaptive management will be used to implement these genetics management <br />guidelines. The guidelines will be reviewed annually by the Biology Committee <br />and revised if necessary. <br />II. PHILOSOPHY, MISSION, AND GOALS FOR GENETICS MANAGEMENT <br />A. Background. Various water development activities in the Upper Colorado <br />River Basin have presented barriers to fish passage or changed the <br />historic water regime of the river system, thereby affecting streamflows, <br />water temperatures, and low velocity habitats that are crucial to the <br />successful recruitment of endemic fishes (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />1987a, 1987b, 1990a 1990b, 1991). Nonnative fishes were introduced, <br />either intentionally or accidentally, that have become established in the <br />river and are suspected to be competitors with, or predators on, the <br />native fishes (Miller et al. 1982). These biological and environmental <br />changes, as well as others, have resulted in the four endemic large river <br />fishes, razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), bonytail (Gila elegans), <br />humpback chub (Gila cvpha), and Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius), <br />being listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as <br />amended. <br />To protect the endangered fishes while allowing water development to <br />continue in the Upper Colorado River Basin to meet the needs of society, <br />the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated an effort to develop a <br />Recovery Implementation Program (Program) for endangered fish (U.S. Fish <br />and Wildlife Service 1987a, 1987b). This effort includes participation by <br />many potentially affected interests in the upper Colorado River: the <br />States of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. <br />Fish and Wildlife Service, Western Area Power Administration, water <br />development interests, and environmental organizations (Wydoski and Hamill <br />1991). <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />J <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />