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7/14/2009 5:02:37 PM
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UCREFRP
UCREFRP Catalog Number
9628
Author
Gloss, S. P., J. E. Lovich and T. S. Melis.
Title
The State of the Colorado River Ecosystem in Grand Canyon - A Report of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center 1991-2004.
USFW Year
2005.
USFW - Doc Type
\
Copyright Material
NO
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<br />predators like trout, which are adapted to hunting in <br />clear water (Valdez and Ryel, 1995). Similarly, the post- <br />dam river hydrology is different from the predam river <br />with respect to daily flow variation, flood frequency, and <br />seasonal pattern and magnitude of maximum and mini- <br />mum flows (Topping and others, 2003). These alterations <br />in flow patterns potentially affect the spawning cues, <br />habitat use, and distribution of native fish, as well as the <br />suitability of mainstem Colorado River rearing habitat, <br />in ways that are largely unknown and potentially com- <br />plex (Korman and others, 2004). Finally, as Glen Canyon <br />Dam blocks the majority of sediment transported by the <br />Colorado River to the upstream portions of Lake Powell, <br />the nearshore physical habitat available to native fish is <br />fundamentally different from the predam river (Goeking <br />and others, 2003; also see chapter I, this report). Except <br />for temperature, the other potential effects of the dam <br />that are mentioned here are based on inferences about <br />what is known regarding fishes from other river systems. <br />Little direct scientific evidence from the Colorado River <br />itself exists regarding these effects, and there remains <br />considerable uncertainty regarding the potential effects <br />of management actions associated with these factors <br />(' Valters and others, 2000). <br /> <br />Other Factors <br /> <br />New fish parasites in the system, changes in tribu- <br />tary hydrology, and alterations in the food base that <br />support fish populations are additional environmental <br />factors that may be affecting native and nonnative fish <br />species in Grand Canyon. Asian tapeworm (Bothriocepha- <br />lus acheilognatln), a parasitic cestode, is a prominent exam- <br />ple of a recently introduced parasite. Introduced into <br />the United States in the 1970s with imported grass carp <br />(Ctenopharyngodon idella) from China, the Asian tapeworm <br />was discovered in 1990 in the Little Colorado River, <br />which is an important spawning area for humpback chub <br />(Choudhury and others, 2004). The tapeworm can cause <br />mortality, but most often it is responsible for reduced <br />growth and poor condition of infected fish. This para- <br />site is currently restricted to the Little Colorado River <br />because cold mainstem temperatures preclude comple- <br />tion of its life cycle. The Little Colorado River is also <br />an example of a tributary system in which upstream <br />water use and development have changed the amount <br />and timing of flows reaching the Colorado River. <br />Such changes could affect fishes in the Little Colorado <br />River and throughout Grand Canyon, especially below <br />the tributary. <br /> <br />Fishes of Grand Canyon 37 <br /> <br />Status and Trends <br /> <br />Until the I 990s, there were few attempts to monitor <br />the status and trends of fishes in Grand Canyon. Infor- <br />mation before the mid- to late-1980s was anecdotal and <br />was provided by explorers, river runners, and occasional <br />scientific expeditions. As a result, few data are available <br />for the first 20 yr after Glen Canyon Dam was closed. <br />Early fish collection efforts were reviewed by Valdez and <br />Carothers (1998), and where appropriate these earlier <br />data are used in comparison to current data for fishes in <br />Grand Canyon. <br />Efforts to estimate population size or relative abun- <br />dance of fishes in Grand Canyon began under Glen <br />Canyon Environmental Studies Phase II when private <br />consulting firms, university researchers, the U.S. Fish <br />and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Arizona Game <br />and Fish Department conducted surveys and under- <br />took population estimates in the mainstem Colorado <br />River and in the Little Colorado River. Beginning in <br />1997, these eHarts became the responsibility of the U.S. <br />Geological Survey's (USGS) Grand Canyon Monitoring <br />and Research Center, which has worked cooperatively <br />on monitoring activities with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife <br />Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and <br />consulting firms (S'''CA Environmental Consultants, <br />Inc., and Ecometric Research). For the purposes of <br />monitoring the study area is divided into three seg- <br />, , <br />ments: the Lees Ferry reach (15 RM of Colorado River <br />corridor from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees :Ferry); the <br />mainstem Colorado River (downstream of Lees Ferry, <br />RM 0 and the Paria River to RM 226 at the conflu- <br />, <br />ence of Diamond Creek); and the Little Colorado River <br />(the 8.7 mi (14 km) of the tributary upstream from the <br />mainstem). The status and trends of fish found in each <br />of these reaches will be discussed separately. Humpback <br />chub are discussed in a separate section. <br /> <br />Lees Ferry <br /> <br />The Lees Ferry reach of the river is managed pri- <br />marily as a rainbow trout sport fishery. The Lees Ferry <br />reach is known as a tailwater trout fishery because it <br />occurs downstream from a large dam where deepwater <br />discharges afford cooler water temperatures that allow <br />coldwater species like trout to survive. In fact, trout not <br />only survived in the Lees .Ferry reach following their <br />initial stocking in 1964 but also nourished in the new <br />habitat created by Glen Canyon Dam. The Lees Ferry <br />
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