7025

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7025
• Author: Hawkins, J. A. and T. P. Nesler.
• Title: Nonnative Fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin
• USFW Year: 1991.
• USFW - Doc Type: An Issue Paper.
• Copyright Material: YES

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In New Mexico, incidental take of endangered fishes via bait minnow seining was
considered a problem. Recommendations included:

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monitor bait minnow industry

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prohibit use of bait minnows in sensitive areas

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restrict live baitfish use by disallowing altogether, or
restricting use of live fish to where they are collected, permitting no transport.

In Utah, seining for minnows has already been legally restricted. In Colorado, the use and
possession of minnows and other fish as bait is prohibited on all waters of the state west of
the Continental Divide except in Navajo Reservoir. It is unlawful to take any of the four
big river endangered species of the Colorado "River Basin in the state; and it is unlawful to
collect bait fish by seine, net or trapping in critical reaches of the Colorado, Green,
Gunnison, White, and Yampa rivers in Colorado.

Sportfish stocking

Some form of limiting stocking was the most often cited approach by respondents.
Six respondents recommended all stocking of nonnative species by eliminated. This
recommendation included not only rivers, but also reservoirs and ponds known to be
problematic sources of introduced fish. Channel catfish was specifically identified here.
More moderate approaches identified by six respondents included:

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develop criteria for agency use governing introduction of nonnative species,

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stop stocking where done to supplement or maintain a fishery,

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prevent excessive nonnative fish introduction,

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replace existing stocking programs with those using sterile hybrids (e.g. triploid
channel catfish). (Pending ecological assessment of habitat use by treated gamefish.)

In a variation on the restriction of stocking game fish, two respondents offered the following
recommendation:

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designate, set aside, and protect selected streams (drainages) exclusively for native
fish. No nonnative fish species would be introduced within these waters.

Eradication

The eradication of introduced species where possible was recommended by two
respondents when 1) lithe introduced species was determined to pose problems", and 2) lito