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current fishing in the floodplain is below the 50-year floodplain and would have to be trout only. Localized losses in fishing opportunities would occur, especially during summer months. if alternative fisning locations were not obtained. D 3. Recovery of Endangered Fishes: The reduction of nonnative fishes escaping into the river would decrease, somewhat, competition with and predation on the endangered fishes. Survival of eggs, larvae, and juveniles of the endangered fishes would slightly increase. Other recovery actions would exhibit measurable positive responses in the endangered fish populations. 4. Economy: Costs of berming ponds to FEMA standards could be significant, although few ponds exist between the 50- and 100-year floodplains. Stocking of private ponds would decrease causing economic impacts to the aquaculture industry and loss of future fishing opportunities in private ponds. Stocking of rainbow trout produced by the aquaculture industry should correspondingly increase. The change in overall fishing days in Colorado would be minimal. This alternative may reduce fishing expenditures by some unknown amount. As an example, if future warmwater fishing opportunities are reduced by 20 surface acres, assuming 100 days fishing/acre at $40/day expenditure, the direct economic impact could be $80,000/year: if reduced by 100 surface acres the direct impact would be $400,000/year. Alternative 3. 1. Aquatic Biological Resources: Numbers and abundance of nonnative fishes in the river would decrease. Chances of escapement would be eliminated for flows less than the 100-year flow event, except from private ponds that are not reclaimed. Nonnative fishes would still occur in the floodplain but their numbers would be greatly reduced. Certain species could not be stocked within the basin. Nongame nonnative fishes with established riverine populations would continue to be a major problem. 2. Recreation: Recreational opportunities in Utah and Wyoming would be unaffected by this alternative, except that new ponds stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, and black crappie would have to be outside the 100-year floodplain. In Colorado, future private ponds below the 100-year floodplain wishing to have fishing would have to purchase trout rather than warmwater fishes from the aquaculture industry. Ponds would probably not be suitable for trout during summer months. Fishing in private ponds would be concentrated during spring and fall months. Private ponds that currently have warmwater fishing would retain it, unless they voluntarily allowed their pond to be reclaimed. If their warmwater fishery collapsed for some reason, the pond could only be restocked with trout. If the same level of warmwater fishing opportunities in Colorado are to be maintained. Colorado and the Recovery Program would have to seek opportunities elsewhere. This might include agreements with entities such as water districts that own waters not currently available to the public for fishing. Most of Colorado's 30