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DRAFT <br />-PART II <br />RECOVERY <br />Objective <br />To recover the Colorado squawfish in .three major recovery areas: the Green <br />River/Upper Colorado River subbasins; the San Juan River subbasin; and the <br />Lower Basin by establishing naturally self-sustaining populations in each of <br />these areas. Quantitative criteria for defining self-sustaining populations <br />will be determined in the future after population viability analyses are <br />completed. <br />Downlistin4 Criteria <br />Downlisting of the .species can be considered when naturally self-sustaining <br />populations are maintained in the Upper Basin (the Green River/Upper Colorado <br />River subbasins and the San Juan River subbasin). Downlisting of .the <br />populations in either of these two recovery areas can be -considered separately <br />because of-the relative isolation of the two areas. <br />Downlisting of the Upper Colorado River subbasin must be done concurrently with <br />the Green River subbasin because of the potential for migration between the two <br />subbasins and the potential value of either subbasin serving to augment the <br />populations in the other subbasin. Downlisting. of the populations in the Green <br />River/Upper Colorado River subbasins must be accomplished first because of the <br />greater population numbers. of Colorado squawfish documented and the greater <br />number of known spawning areas and documented reproduction occurring in the <br />Green River subbasin. <br />Downlisting of the San Juan can be considered after the Green River/Upper <br />Colorado River subbasins have been downlisted. Downlisting of the populations <br />in both of these recovery areas will essentially accomplish downlisting of the <br />species. Meeting the downlisting criteria for the San Juan River subbasin <br />population is necessary before downlisting the species may occur because: <br />1) it provides an additional population that will help prevent extinction of <br />the species upon a catastrophic loss of the Green River/Upper Colorado River <br />subbasin; 2) this population is known to have some reproduction of Colorado <br />squawfish; and 3) the potential for restoration of the river habitat and the <br />Colorado squawfish population is good. <br />Currently, any populations of the Colorado squawfish occurring in the Lower <br />Basin (in the Salt or Verde rivers) have been designated as nonessential <br />experimental populations. Experimental populations are by regulation treated <br />as threatened; therefore, downlisting already is accomplished for such <br />populations. <br />21 <br />