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<br />20
<br />EXPERT OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE
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<br />Twenty-six people participated in the questionnaire. From the original 40 persons
<br />queried, three changed jobs and locations prior to responding, and were unavailable to
<br />participate. From 37 potential participants, there was a 70% response rate. Participants
<br />included 7 representatives from USFWS, 7 from UDWR, 3 from CSU, 3 from NMGF, 2
<br />from BioWest, Inc., and 1 each from ASU, CDOW, UNM, and USBR
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<br />Job type categorization showed 54% of the respondents were biologists, 38% were
<br />researchers, 27% were, managers, and 31 % considered their jobs to be some combination
<br />of these three job types. Eighty-five percent of the respondents overall placed part of their
<br />expertise in one or more of these job types. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents were
<br />in administrator, supervisor, college professor, or other categories.
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<br />Responsibility categories showed 65% of the respondents dealt with threatened and
<br />endangered (T &E) species, 58% dealt with nongame species, 46% dealt with sport fisheries,
<br />and 42% dealt with gamefish sBecies. Thirty-one percent of the respondents dealt with both
<br />game and nongame species,.46% dealt with nongame or T&E species only, 23% dealt with
<br />T &E species only, and 12% dealt with game fish species only. Responsibilities for 54% of
<br />the respondents were regional in scope, 15% were statewide in scope, 4% were district
<br />oriented, and 27% were not bounded by any geographical boundaries.
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<br />Question 1: What rivers, lakes, or drainages have you had experience with, or that you are
<br />currently responsible for resource management within? (e.g., Yampa, Green,
<br />White, Colorado, Lake Powel~ Gila, Dolores, San Juan, Salt, etc.).
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<br />Answers to this question showed the combined experience of" the respondents
<br />included 32 river drainages and 5 reservoirs within the Colorado River Basin, the
<br />southwestern United States, and the Missouri and South Platte basins (Table 2). Sixty-five
<br />percent of the respondents had experience in the Green River, 58% in the Colorado River,
<br />42% in the White and San Juan rivers, 38% in the Yainpa River, and 27% in the Gunnison
<br />River. Nineteen percent of the respondents indicated their experience base included Lake
<br />Powell.
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<br />Question 2: Are impacts from introduced fish species upon native fish species a problem in
<br />any of -these waters? If so, please identify which waters.
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<br />The majority of the respondents (81%) answered this question with a ''yes'' or some
<br />qualified form of ''yes''. Most of the drainages listed in Table 2 were included as having
<br />native fish species impacted by introduced fish species. Respondents identified the Green,
<br />White, Y ampa, Colorado, Uttle Snake, San Juan, Salt, Gila, Virgin, Pecos, Rio Grande and
<br />Rio Chama rivers. Some respondents included all waters in New Mexico except the
<br />Tularosa, all waters in Utah, all waters in the Lower Colorado River Basin, or all waters in
<br />the Colorado River Basin. Thirty-five percent of the respondents indicated impacts of
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