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Last modified
7/14/2009 5:02:36 PM
Creation date
5/20/2009 10:07:40 AM
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UCREFRP
UCREFRP Catalog Number
9499
Author
Osmundson, D. B.
Title
Removal of Non-native Centrarchids from Upper Colorado River Backwaters, 1999-2001
USFW Year
2003.
USFW - Doc Type
Summary of Results.
Copyright Material
NO
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juvenile native fish in upper Colorado River backwaters is probably from largemouth <br />bass followed by green sunfish and black bullhead. Although introduced red shiners, an <br />abundant member of many upper Colorado River backwater communities, are capable of <br />preying on larval native fishes (Ruppert et al. 1993), native fishes quickly grow out of the <br />size range vulnerable to predation from these small minnows. However, the common <br />occurrence of largemouth bass, many as large as 175 mm long, greatly extends the <br />window of predation vulnerability for Colorado pikeminnow and other native fishes, <br />including larvae, YOY and yearling-size individuals. Although green sunfish are perhaps <br />not as piscivorous as largemouth bass, their abundance and widespread distribution make <br />them a significant threat to native fish survival in backwaters. Experiments in pond- <br />stocking of Colorado pikeminnow revealed that green sunfish can consume pikeminnow <br />60% of their own length (Osmundson 1987). In electrofishing efforts reported here, <br />20% of green sunfish in backwaters were 100-150 mm long, and hence capable of <br />preying on Colorado pikeminnow 60-90 mm long. <br />Although barge-shocking proved the most effective means to mechanically <br />remove centrarchids from backwaters, non-natives were only partially removed from <br />individual sites and no reach-wide depletive effect was demonstrated after six seasonal <br />removal efforts. Total cost for the field effort was $156,000, which translates to a cost <br />of $10.49 for each centrarchid removed. When all non-native fish are considered, the <br />cost of removal was about $5.58 per fish. <br />Other means to reduce centrarchids should be explored, including better <br />techniques to physically remove individuals from particular sites as well as management <br />strategies that keep backwaters from developing pond-like conditions that allow <br />centrarchids to thrive. In certain cases, chemical treatment of seasonally-isolated <br />backwaters might be accomplished with little risk to native fish. This may prove a more <br />thorough means to eradicate non-native fish from some high-concentration sites than did <br />electrofishing. In addition to irrigation returns, these floodplain `hotspots' may be <br />important sources of centrarchids present in other backwaters. Probably the most <br />effective means to reduce or eliminate a species is to destroy its habitat. The relationship <br />between sustained periods of low river flow and enhancement of centrarchid habitat in <br />23
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