8174

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8174
• Author: Martinez, P. J.
• Title: West Slope Warmwater Fisheries.
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

Table 5. Total number of ponds and numbers of ponds by floodplain or of undetermined floodplain
position along the Colorado and Gunnison rivers within Critical Habitat.
Total number of Ponds for which
River and reach ponds and total floodplain Flood lain desi ations of interest

surface acreage position is
0-10
10-50
50-100
> 100
by reach undetermined
year ear eaz year
Number 246 None 136 55 none 55
Colorado -
Colorado
d
li

Percent of number

55%

22%

-

22%
e
a
Pa
s
to Loma Surface acres 710 0 514 149 0 47
Percent of acre a 72% 21% - 7%
Gunnison - Number 17 46 2 6 9 None
Delta to
Colorado
River Surface acres 18 140 3 3 12 0
confluence
Points made by CDOW included potential benefits of terming: 1) berming of ponds allows
warmwater sport fish recreation within floodplain in a fashion compatible with endangered fish recovery and
native fish protection, 2) berming may alleviate concerns about economic impacts due to perceived losses of
fishing opportunity, 3) berming minimizes reinvasion of pond by nonnatives once it has been reclaimed to
facilitate better production of sport or native fish species, and 4) berming may prevent or minimize trapping
of adult endangered and other native fishes in floodplain ponds as water levels recede, thereby facilitating
their continued reproductive contribution to the mainstem riverine fish population.
The response to this concern about pond berming by CDOW ranged from a voluntary moratorium on
any warmwater fish management in ponds within Critical Habitat for five years (a timeframe perceived to
allow floodplain restoration and/or growout ponds to be implemented) to no restrictions on the number of
public ponds that might be considered for berming. In the finalized rP ocedures, a cap was imposed on the
number of ponds eligible for berming within the floodplain of Critical Habitat. Only three sites that are
currently public, Corn Lake, Duke Lake, and Connected Lakes can be pursued for continued management of
warmwater sport fish species (Appendix A).
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