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<br />44 <br /> <br />on the issue of introduced fish impacts upon native fishes. These views are paraphrased <br />below; <br /> <br />-Introduced species impacts are well down the list for the Colorado River endangered <br />fishes. <br /> <br />-1. Construction of mainstem dams <br />2. Interruption of seasonal flow regime <br />3. Introduced fishes <br />4. Water quality degradation <br />5. Disease and parasites <br /> <br />-Industrialization including agriculture in Utah has created habitats that are more ideally <br />suited to IroUgh" fish or introduced species in a lot of instances. <br /> <br />-Introduced fishes represent very little impact compared to the loss of habitat <br /> <br />-Habitat loss or change is the primary reason that the other impacts exist <br /> <br />-The impact of habitat alteration, flow depletion, and impaired water quality pose as <br />much or greater threats to native fishes than (effects of) introduced fishes. The <br />threat of water depletion will be much greater in the future in view of water deficits <br />projected for New Mexi,co and neighboring states. <br /> <br />-Impacts on habitat are the primary reasons for the decline of most threatened and <br />endangered fishes (including dams, grazing, water quality, pollution). <br /> <br />-Introduced fishes have almost equal impact as flow alteration, flow depletion, and <br />habitat degradation. <br /> <br />-The endangered fish species would have suffered if no other species had, been <br />introduced to the river, primarily because of flow alterations that have negatively <br />affected habitat quality~ and dams that have blocked migration and gene flow among <br />reaches. However, effects from introduced fishes have made survival of endangered <br />fish all the more difficult The relative importance of introduced fishes probably <br />differs among endangered fish species. <br /> <br />-Synergism of habitat degradation combined with nonnative species establishment exacts <br />the greatest toll on native wildlife. Natural hydrographs, intact watersheds, <br />elimination of point and non-point pollution sources, and halting of channelization <br />and diversion management practices will ultimately be responsible for counter-acting <br />nonnative species domination. <br /> <br />-Most of these activities negatively affect the natives and in many cases positively affect <br />