7232 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

nDECFNITATrn?! ^r nnrn 1 i?LJLI\lill LVII vi ljrl%1'i Gunnison River Before white man colonized the Gunnison River drainage, only the species of fish as presented in this paraaranh were found. The Cutthroat trout, the Mottled and/or the Eagle sculpin, and the Speckled dace occurred at higher elevations of the Gunnison River. As one proceeded downstream, the Bluehead sucker and Flannelmouth sucker dominated the scene. As the Gunnison River assumed the large river and lower elevation character above the present city of Delta, Colorado, the Colorado River squawfish was common and razorback 5u::kel^S wc ?'e abi:iidai"it. T i"ic iNviindta i i iiiub was i i keiy common throughout rile system, except in the higher mountain area of smaller stream habitat. There is little evidence to substantiate any significant populations of either the Bonytail or Humpback chubs, although the names were frequently alluded to in the literature. The problem of the correct nomenclature being used in the early literature makes definite statements concerning some fish species dif- ficult to make. For instance, the common names Bonytail and Roundtail are used inter-changeably in much of the early literature. Previous investigations which either partially or wholly corroborate-the above fish distribution include Jordan (1891) (1896), Beckman (1952) and Miller (1961). An unpublished letter from Robert R. Miller, Curator of Fishes at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, indicates fish collections from the Gunnison River were primarily endemics until about 1940. In the 35-year period since then, exotic species of fish lhabitat alterations, agricultural practices, unusual climatic extremes, and possibly some unknown factors have drastically altered the species composition of the Gunnison River. In addition, since 1935 several large reservoirs have been constructed, 01)