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<br />within their respective agencies.
<br />
<br />Other agencies, and Congressional
<br />appropriations have also provided funds in
<br />support of recovery activities for the Colorado
<br />River fishes. Without this continued cooperation
<br />between concerned scientists and managers,
<br />management of the Colorado River fishes will be
<br />impossible.
<br />
<br />CONCLUSIONS
<br />
<br />Effective management practices have not
<br />been developed for native Colorado River fishes,
<br />nor have endangered fishes been recovered. To do
<br />so will require many years of costly and
<br />intensive research and management work. However,
<br />the Recovery Implementation Program of the Upper
<br />Colorado River basin is assisting the
<br />development and testing of management practices
<br />for them. This has been made Possible funds that
<br />are provided by a coalition of federal state
<br />and private agencies and interests, wh~ wish to
<br />recover listed endangered fishes and at the same
<br />time allow for some water development. It is the
<br />cooperation of various agencies that are charged
<br />with protection of the fishes and management of
<br />the water upon which they depend, that will
<br />permit the development and testing of management
<br />procedures and practices for recovery of listed
<br />fishes; presumably to the benefit of the entire
<br />native fish fauna. If this program is not
<br />successful, it is doubtful if most of the native
<br />Colorado River fishes will survive.
<br />
<br />Loss of the native Colorado River fish
<br />fauna would be the loss of the most unique
<br />endemic riverine ecosystem in North America
<br />(Miller 1959), and perhaps foretell the doom of
<br />many other systems of the world as well. If the
<br />lower Colorado River basin is indeed a model
<br />that predicts the outcome of water resources
<br />development, and introduction of non-native
<br />competitors, on the Upper basin (Molles 1980),
<br />the future outcome appears grim. However, the
<br />loss of species has not been a National concern
<br />until recently, as evidenced by the passage of
<br />the ESA less than 20 years ago. It was due to
<br />this act, and the intensive efforts that it
<br />sparked, that we know very much about the
<br />ecological requirements of native Colorado River
<br />fishes, and these efforts are continuing at a
<br />fast rate.
<br />
<br />Although recovery of the Colorado River
<br />fishes will be costly and involve difficult
<br />research and management activities, successes in
<br />obtaining information about the fish is
<br />encouraging. It now appears that portions of the
<br />river and its associated environment can be
<br />saved through management efforts. However, this
<br />can only occur through Cooperative efforts of
<br />many parties that have conflicting interests.
<br />
<br />-,
<br />
<br />_10'
<br />
<br />ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
<br />
<br />. The Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife ).1.............
<br />Service and others have provided funds and)
<br />support for the development of management , ..
<br />programs for fishes of the Green and Colorado .~
<br />Rivers. I acknowledge and thank the many
<br />individuals and agencies that have worked to.'.~,
<br />conserve native Colorado River fishes. '
<br />
<br />LITERATURE CITED
<br />
<br />
<br />Archer, D. L., L. R. Kaeding, B. D. Burdick, and,
<br />C. W. McAda. 1985. A study of endangered
<br />fishes of the upper Colorado River. Final
<br />Report. Cooperative Agreement No. 14-16-
<br />0006-82-959. U.S. Fish Wildlife Service,
<br />Grand Junction, CO.
<br />
<br />Baxter, G. T., and J. R. Simon. 1970. Wyoming
<br />fishes. Bulletin 4. Wyoming Game and Fish
<br />. Department, Cheyenne.
<br />
<br />Behnke, R. J., and D.E. Benson. 1983. Endangered
<br />and threatened fishes of the upper
<br />Colorado River. Bulletin 503a. Cooperative
<br />Extension Service, Colorado State
<br />University, Fort Collins, CO
<br />
<br />
<br />Carlson, C. A., and R. T. Muth. 1989. The
<br />Colorado River: lifeline of the American
<br />southwest. Pages 220-239 in D.P. Dodge,
<br />editor. Proceedings of the international
<br />large river symposium. Canadian Special
<br />Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic
<br />Sciences, 106.
<br />
<br />Fradkin, P. L. 1981. A river no more--the
<br />Colorado River and the West. Knopf, New
<br />York, NY.
<br />
<br />Hendrickson, D. A., and J. E. Brooks: 1987. .
<br />Colorado squawfish reintroductlon studles.
<br />Proceedings of the Desert Fishes Council
<br />18:207-208.
<br />
<br />Holden, P. B.,'--and E. J. Wick. 1982. Life
<br />history and prospects for recovery
<br />of Colado squawfish. Pages 98-108 in W.
<br />H. Miller, H. M. Tyus, and C. A.Carlson,
<br />editors. Fishes of the Upper Colorado
<br />River System: Present and Future. American
<br />Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.
<br />
<br />Jordan, D. S., and B. W. Evermann. 1896. The
<br />fishes of North and Middle America.
<br />Bulletin United Stites National Museum,
<br />47(1): 1-1240.
<br />
<br />Kaeding, L. R., and M. A. Zimmerman. 1983. Life
<br />history of the humpback chub in. the Little
<br />Colorado and Colorado rivers of the Grand
<br />Canyon. Transactions American Fisheries
<br />SOCiety 112(5):577-594.
<br />
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