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Mountains. from the Great Lakes region south to the Gulf of Mexico. <br />Introduced primarily as prey for other fish. Diet includes other <br />fishes. Known to eat eggs and larvae of endangered fishes and <br />considered a competitor. Green sunfish were tied for 5th on the list of <br />28 nonnative fish species considered to adversely impact the native <br />fishes in the Colorado River Basin (Hawkins and Nesler 1991). <br />17. White crappie: Their native distribution is east central North <br />America from Minnesota west to the Appalachian Mountains south to the <br />Gulf Coast and west to Texas. Incidental catches of this species have <br />occurred in Navajo Reservoir, New Mexico. This species has a greater <br />tolerance for turbid waters and would likely fare better then black <br />crappie in mainstem habitats. Diet includes other fishes. White <br />crappie were ranked 28th on the list of 28 nonnative fish species <br />considered to adversely impact the native fishes in the Colorado River <br />Basin (Hawkins and Nesler 1991). There low ranking is related to their <br />limited distribution in the Basin. <br />18. Grass carp: Their native range is Asia, primarily China and <br />Thailand. Have been introduced into the United States as a vegetation <br />control. Only triploid grass carp are being used in the Upper Basin. <br />because they lack the ability to reproduce. This allows their numbers <br />and distribution to be controlled. Habitats include lakes, reservoirs, <br />ponds, rivers, and irrigation ditches. Not known to prey on other <br />fishes, but can alter habitats of other fishes by changing vegetation. <br />This species was not included on the list of 28 nonnative fish species <br />by Hawkins and Nesler (1991), though considered by many as undesirable <br />in mainstem rivers. <br />B. Recreational Fishing <br />1. Colorado: Anglers fished approximately 8.2 million days in 1991: <br />each angler fished an average of 12.1 days each (Colorado Division of <br />Wildlife 1992). Seventy-nine percent of this fishing occurred in <br />coldwater lakes and streams. The remaining 21 percent was in cool and <br />warm waters. In the nine counties of the northwest region of Colorado <br />(area representing the Upper Basin), anglers fished 955,398 days (23 <br />percent) of the State total. Over 70 percent of this fishing was in <br />cold water habitats. Fishing for warmwater species (black crappie, <br />largemouth bass, catfish, etc.) represented about six percent of the <br />fishing effort. Warmwater fishing in the northwest region accounts for <br />about 9.5 percent of the total warmwater fishing in Colorado. The <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife would like to increase warmwater fishing <br />opportunities in western Colorado. <br />A survey of warmwater anglers in Delta, Garfield, Mesa, and Montrose <br />counties concluded that anglers fished most often for catfish (36 <br />percent) and largemouth bass (25 percent; Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />1996). In ponds that would be reclaimed through Recovery Program <br />efforts, 75 percent supported restocking with largemouth bass, bluegill, <br />and black crappie. 52 percent supported restocking with only trout. <br />Sixty-three percent of the anglers reported that they were satisfied <br />23