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<br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />Fishes of the Colorado River vary from cold water <br />trout species found in the river's mountainous headwa- <br />ters to uniquely adapted desert river species found at <br />lower elevations. \'Vithin the study area, the Colorado <br />River corridor between Glen Canyon Dam and the west- <br />ern boundary of Grand Canyon National Park (hereafter <br />Grand Canyon), the Colorado River was a seasonally <br />warm and turbid river characterized by large seasonal <br />variations in flow before it was altered by the closure of <br />Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 (Topping and others, 2003). <br />Although water temperatures fluctuated between 320F <br />(ooC) during winter to a high approaching 860F (30oC) <br />during late summer, several warmwater native fish spe- <br />cies successfully inhabited this stretch of the river (Cole <br />and Kubly, 1976). Because of the harsh environment <br />created by dramatic seasonal fluctuations in the river's <br />predam flow and temperature, only 8 of the 32 species <br />of native fish historically found in the Colorado River <br />were common in the Grand Canyon reach of the river. <br />Other native fishes within the study area were restricted <br />to small tributary streams or occurred only in transient <br />or seasonal numbers. Of the eight fish species that were <br />originally common to the study area, only four species <br />are known to persist today. <br />The number of species that made up the original <br />fish community of the Colorado River was altered well <br />before the construction of mainstem dams because <br />of the introduction of nonnative fishes by early Euro- <br />pean settlers. Nonnative fishes, from sport fishes to <br />escapees from aquaria, have been intentionally and <br />inadvertently stocked in the Colorado River for more <br />than 100 yr (Mueller and Marsh, 2002). Today, non- <br />native fishes originating in many parts of the world <br />are found in the Colorado River. Table I contains a <br />list of the native and nonnative fishes of the Colorado <br />River in Grand Canyon. <br />This chapter examines the status, trends, and recent <br />condition of Grand Canyon fishes, focusing particular <br />attention on the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha) <br />because of its prominence within the Glen Canyon <br />Dam Adaptive Management Program (see Overview, <br />this report). The chapter begins with a discussion of the <br />conditions that led to the development of the Grand <br />Canyon's unique native fish populations and then moves <br />on to the reasons for their decline. The effects of the <br />modified low fluctuating flow (MLFF) alternative on fish <br />