7315 ‎(2)‎

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7315
• Author: Colorado Water Conservation Board.
• Title: State of Colorado Hatchery Feasibility Study for Endangered Fishes of the Colorado River Basin, Vols. 1 & 2.
• USFW Year: 1993.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

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2.2 SUMMARY OF PAST CULTURE TECHNIQUES

This section provides a summary of culture techniques used on the four species of Colorado
River endangered fish. The summary begins with a brief history of the culture of these
endangered fish and a synthesis of techniques employed. A more detailed description of
current techniques for extensive and intensive culture of these fish species is presented in
Section 2.3.

2.2.1. Brief History

Culture of Colorado River endangered fish began when 8 adult Colorado squawfish were
taken from the Yampa River in July 1973 and transferred to Willow Beach NFH in Arizona.
Seven of the fish survived and in July 1974, these spawned naturally in gravel-lined concrete
troughs to produce 5,000 to 10,000 young squawfish (Toney 1974). After that initial transfer,
51 more adults were captured in the wild and sent to Willow Beach NFH. This includes 14
adults captured in November 1975 from the Colorado River near GrandJunction, Colorado,
and 8 adults from the Green River near Jensen, Utah, in May 1976. In April and May,
1978, 11 adults were transferred from the Colorado River near Grand Junction and 11 from
the Green River near Jensen. In October and November 1979, 3 fish were transferred from
the Green River near Jensen and 4 from the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. A total of
58 adults were transferred from Willow Beach NFH to Dexter NFH in 1980, and since then,
12 more wild squawfish have been taken to Dexter NFH by the end of 1990.

Razorback suckers were first brought into captivity for propagation in 1974 when 40 adults
were transferred from Lake Mohave, Arizona to Willow Beach NFH. The first transfers of
humpback chub were in 1979 and 1980 when a total of 33 fish were brought to Willow
Beach from the Uttle Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona, and from Black Rocks,
Colorado River, Colorado. The first bonytail chub were transferred to Willow Beach in
1979 and 1980 when 12 adults were taken from Lake Mohave, Arizona (Hamman 1981a).

Willow Beach NFH was the primary culture facility for these fish from 1974 to 1980, at
which time the program was transferred to Dexter NFH near Roswell, New Mexico. Since
that time, Willow Beach NFH has been phased out of endangered fish culture and
propagation, and Dexter NFH has assumed the role as the principal endangered fish
hatchery for the Colorado River Basin.

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