7999 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

t UPPER BASIN THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES r RECOVERY PLANS Mr. John Hamill, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Denver, r provided the report on these subjects, giving particular attention to issues of most interest to the Council: A non- native fish stocking procedure; a new initiative to develop , a non-native fish control strategy; an update of the Gila species complex study; and the funding package about to be submitted to congress providing for operation of the recovery programs in the upper basin. In the upper basin, about three-fourths of the native fish species inhabiting the main stem and major tributaries are currently either listed as endangered or as species of concern to become threatened or endangered. Primarily, four main stem species, the Colorado squawfish, the humpback chub, the roundtail chub and the razorback sucker are the focus of the Upper Basin Fish Recovery Plan. In 1993, many hundreds of miles in both the upper basin and lower basin of the Colorado River and its major tributaries were classified as a critical habitat for one or more of these species. The major portion of unaltered habitat occurs in the upper basin. In 1988, the governors of the four upper basin states, with the federal government and water users, embarked upon the Upper Basin Recovery Plan. Its objective was to recover these four native species, while at the same time allowing orderly development of the water resources of the basin. The committee, based on membership of the primary interests in wildlife, water, development, and environment of the upper basin works by consensus. Currently five elements of the recovery plan are emphasized: (1) maintenance of instream flows; (2) mimic the natural flow regimen; (3) restore and maintain river backwaters and other habitats; (4) enhance and regain movement through fish ladder construction, modification of , diversions, and maintenance and restoration of flooded bottomland habitats; and (5) stocking programs including establishment of genetic information, acquiring stocks of all the major genetic components, and stocking back from cultural rearing. A stocking policy has been in preparation as a cooperative effort between FWS and the states since 1992. The original agreement was formulated in 1992 and field tested for a year in 1993. At the conclusion of that study, several parties, especially environmental groups, objected to continued stocking within the flood plains of major waterways. This led to development of other drafts. , Discussions are currently proceeding on five options possible for fish management in flood plains dealing with