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1 1 [7 1 1 1 t 1 believe that those introductions have contributed to the population in Lake Mojave. In Lake Havasu, only about 120 bonytails have been stocked, but they were in the range of 10 inches. They were tagged. Returns to 1996 seem to show there has been some recruitment. The lower basin has entered into a program based on a commitment through Section 7, ESA to begin stocking 25,000 bonytails a year between 10 and 12 inches. The program was to start in 1996, but severe over-wintering problems at Dexter NFH eliminated the planned introduction. The FWS continues to believe firmly that they can and will make the objective. Mr. Radant (UT) indicated that work in the upper basin seems to show cultured individuals are not able to handle the river environment and Utah will be working with FWS trying to revise culture methods so the fish will be adapted to currents and river food organisms before they are introduced. Mr. Divine pointed out in the more successful Lake Mojave plants, all fish were less than 5 inches. Transportation and handling losses of 10 to 12 inch fish are common in their experience, which indicates that the fish get very much more difficult to handle and transport they grow larger and older. Experience in the lower basin with razorback suckers is encouraging. Approximately 4,000 small suckers were introduced into Lake Mojave. These young adults are now mingling with the older native fish on the spawning grounds in large numbers each year, considering the smallness of the number of individuals introduced. In efforts to collect wild razorback fry, the FWS this year has collected approximately 64,000 fish to date, which is double that collected last year and four to six times that collected two years ago. Of the previous collections, about 6,000 fingerling fish have been placed into ephemeral and cutoff bays and ponds. From collections this year, which are still ongoing, the service hopes to release several thousand three to four-inch razorback into ephemeral ponds, and several thousand raised over winter released in 1997 into the Mojave system at considerably larger size. Mr. Hamill reported that FWS has developed a razorback recovery plan and has taken the initiative to integrate it across the system and also has taken the initiative to draft an ecosystem plan for razorbacks to integrate the different basins which included four separate recovery plans for the species. Each of these two documents are presently being reviewed internally. The review is due to be concluded by the first of June when the plans will be given to the recovery teams to review by at least the end of July. After this, the plans will be sent for public and agency review in accordance with normal processes. Mr. Hamill believes, in 11