9383

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9383
• Author: SWCA, I.
• Title: Recovery Goals for the four Colorado River Endangered Fish Species.
• USFW Year: 2000.
• USFW - Doc Type: Logan.
• Copyright Material: NO

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Ii

to develop and implement species recovery plans "...for the conservation and survival... " of
cies. The ESA states that "The terms 'conserve', 'conserving', and 'conservation'
use and the use of all methods and procedures which are necessary to bring any
endangered species or threatened species to the point at which the measures provided pursuant
to this Act are no longer necessary." The Service further defines conservation as
"... improvement in the status of a listed species to the point at which listing is no longer
appropriate..." (50 CFR S402.02). These definitions demonstrate the strong relationship
between the delist' 'teria used for recovery and the five factors that determine whether any
'qlt species or a threatened species under Section 4(a) of the ESA. The five
listing factors are a re~ed in Section 3.0 of this report, and are:
A. The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or

range,
B. Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes,
C. Disease or predation,
D. The inadequacy of existi gulatory mechanisms, or
E. Other natural or manm e Qrs affecting its continued existence.
Recovery implements management actions that minimize or remove threats and allow
genetically and demographically viable, self-sustaining populations to thrive under minimal
ongoing management. Recovery does not mandate returning animals to all or a significant
portion of their historic range, nor does recovery mandate establishing populations in all possible
habitats, or everywhere the species can be established or re- . hed. Removing a species
from protection of the ESA remands the primary responsibili management of that species
back to the states, who may choose to further expand the range. and populations of that species.
While the goal of returning endangered species to all potential habitats may be desirable, the
intent of the ESA is to establish viable, self-sustaining populations. The standard of establishing
and protecting viable, self-sustaining populations, as applied to the recovery of all listed species,
is used as the standard in developing recovery criteria for the four endangered fishes of the
Colorado River Basin. This approach is consistent with recovery of other vertebrat~es,
such as grizzly bears (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1993, U.S. Department of Agri~ture

3