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<br />ENDANGERED SPECIES <br /> <br />371 <br /> <br />annually in the Gila, Salt, and Verde river drainages, Arizona. Reintroduction of <br />Colorado squawfish in the Salt and Verde river drainages began in 1985, and <br />desert pupfish and Gila topminnow have been stocked at several reintroduction <br />sites in Arizona. Success of these reintroductions has yet to be fully evaluated, <br />but the programs are expected to continue and expand to other lower-basin <br />locations. <br />To date, most work on native fishes in the upper basin has been oriented toward <br />research and population monitoring, in part because river habitat degradation is <br />less severe, and wild populations of federally protected and rare fishes are still <br />present. Plans for reintroducing upper-basin endangered fishes incorporate and <br />depend upon understanding population genetics and on habitat enhancement or <br />restoration. <br />A program has been developed to recover, delist, and manage humpback chub, <br />bony tail, Colorado squawfish, and razorback sucker in the upper basin while <br />allowing for additional water development (Wydoski and Hamill 1991). Elements <br />ofthe recovery program are (I) provision of instream flow-determine, procure, <br />and maintain instream flows required to protect and recover the species; (2) <br />habitat development and maintenance-increase the amount of favorable habitat <br />for reproduction, production, and overwintering; (3) artificial propagation and <br />stocking of rare and endangered fish species; (4) nonnative species and sportfish- <br />ing management-regulate stocking of nonnative fishes, selectively remove <br />nonnative species, regulate sportfishing in areas where rare and endangered fishes <br />occur, and educate the fishing public on rare and endangered fishes; and (5) <br />research, monitoring, and data management. The time frame for this $60 million <br />recovery program is 15 years, and an Upper Colorado River Recovery Implemen- <br />tation Committee oversees recovery efforts. <br />Even with operating recovery strategies in place, the future of the Colorado <br />River's native fishes appears bleak. Carlson and Muth (1989) concluded that <br />conflicts between development and natural ecosystems in the basin will continue <br />and probably worsen as demand for water increases. Stanford and Ward (l986a) <br />stated that the river's future depends on whether (1) there will be enough water to <br />maintain desirable ecosystem values and (2) native and nonnative fishes can <br />coexist. They concluded that the endangered fishes are incompatible with stream <br />regulation and nonnative species and that future water shortages will preclude <br />allocations for them and other ecological concerns. <br /> <br />15.4.5 Western Trouts in the lGenus Oncorhynchus <br /> <br />Since the turn of the century, most native western trouts have experienced <br />declining populations, and some species have been pushed to near extinction (Ono <br />et al. 1983). Behnke (1992) classified native western trouts into four species and 22 <br />subspecies. Five are federally listed as threatened (Little Kern golden trout, <br />Apache trout, Lahontan cutthroat trout, Paiute cutthroat trout, and greenback <br />cutthroat trout), and one is federally listed as endangered (Gila trout). Other <br />native western trouts are variously protected by several western states and often <br />appear on unotJiciallists of threatened and endangered fishes. Some of these, such <br />as Colorado River cutthroat trout and BonneviUe cutthroat trout, are under <br />review for federal listing. <br />Several factors have contributed to the decline of native western trouts. One <br /> <br />~ <br />