7802 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

.. Wi, clost: 'I ,f H LLIIY\'\ \ I IC{1 ( ~ Pages 123-135 in W.L, Minckley and J,E, Deacon, .Editors, extinction: Native fish management in the Amerlcan West, Arizona Press, Tucson. 1991. Chapter 8 Battle against University of Evolution of a Cooperative Recovery Program for Endangered Fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin Richard S. Wydoski and John Hamill Introduction The Colorado River originates in clear, cold streams of the Rocky, Uinta, and Wind River mountains of the western United States, flows through high deserts, and has carved spectac- ular canyons by erosion of soft sandstones and other rocks. Historically, the river and its larger tributaries were warm and turbid in summer and characterized by iarge changes in water volumes and velocities. Several unique fishes evolved in this distinctive riverine envi- ronment, where 74% of the native fish fauna was endemic (R. R. Miller 1959). Three of the endemic large-river fishes-the Colorado squawfish (Ptychochei/us lucius), humpback chub (Gila cypha), and bony tail (G. elegans)- are federally listed as endangered (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1990). A fourth, the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), has been proposed for listing as endangered. These four species are collectively referred to as the endangered Colorado River fishes, and this paper describes and discusses the evolution of a program toward their recovery in the upper Colorado River basin (hereinafter referred to as the upper basin). We thank the many persons who reviewed and provided suggestions for improvement of the manuscript, especially J. Bennett, L. Kaed- ing, W Miller, H. Tyus, and M. Zallen. ~ Setting the Stage An understanding of recovery efforts for en- dangered fishes of the upper basin requires an appreciation of the importance of the rivers as a source of water for municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Settlement of the arid West began more than a hundred years ago and emphasized "mastery over nature." The Colorado River was thus altered to de- velop and control its waters to such an extent that it has been described as the most heavily used, controlled, and fought-over river in the world (Crawford and Petersen 1'974). Al- though the basin receives less precipitation per square kilometer of drainage than any other major watershed in the United States, it provides more than fifteen million people with water (Utah Water Research Laboratory 1975). Further alteration of this already,.over- allocated resource is considered by some people as necessary to supply water to an ex- panding human population and to develop some of the largest fuel deposits (coal, oil, oil shales, and uranium) in the nation (Bishop et al. 1975). Legal control of the river began with the Colorado River Compact of 1'92.2.. This com- pact divided the water between the seven states comprising the upper and lower basins, anticipated demands for water in Mexico that 12.3