9688

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9688
• Author: Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.
• Title: Nonnative Fish Control Workshop Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations.
• USFW Year: 2002.
• USFW - Doc Type: Lakewood, CO.
• Copyright Material: NO

reservation in the United States. The Service and the Tribe have developed a Fisheries
Management Plan to provide objectives and guidelines for the management of Tribal fishery
resources. Portions of the Green, White, and Duchesne rivers are found on the Reservation.
These rivers contain populations and critical habitat of the endangered Colorado pikeminnow,
razorback sucker, humpback chub, and bonytail.
On average about 30,000 rainbow, cutthroat, brown, and brook trout are stocked on the
Reservation each year. About 24,000 angler hours are spent fishing on the Reservation each year
and these anglers catch around 10,000 fish (catch per unit effort [CPUE] = 2.4 fish hour). Most
of the anglers are Non-Tribal members who are required to purchase a Tribal fishing license. For
the most part, Tribal fishing regulations are the same as State regulations. The only difference is
that the Tribe allows a daily possession limit of eight fish instead of four.
Fish stocked on the Ute Indian Reservation are produced at Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery.
The hatchery was authorized in 1956 to mitigate losses to fish and wildlife in Utah, Colorado,
and Wyoming as a result~of the Colorado River Storage Project. The hatchery is mandated to
provide about two million trout for various lakes, reservoirs, and rivers throughout the areas. It
is calculated that this will provide about 0.6 million angler days/year.
The Service provides assistance to the Ute Indian Tribe as part of the Federal government's Trust
Responsibilities to Indian tribes resulting from treaties, statutes, executive orders, and judicial
decisions. This trust responsibility requires the Service to help manage natural resources held in
trust for Indian tribes, acknowledge treaty obligations and tribal rights, and recognize Tribal
governments as separate sovereign nations.
Indian-lands are not Federal or public lands and are not subject to Federal or State laws. These
lands were set aside pursuant to treaties, statutes, judicial decisions, executive orders or
agreements. Indian tribes manage them according to their own goals within the framework of
applicable laws.
Although Indian tribes acknowledge the Endangered Species Act, they expect recognition of
their sovereignty and tribal rights. This has lead to legal disagreements. The Federal
government and Indian tribes have agreed to set these differences aside and work together to
maintain and restore healthy ecosystems and promote species conservation.
The Ute Indian Tribe was invited by the Service and the States of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming
to participate in the development of the Stocking Procedures. The Tribe declined to participate
because they did not want others dictating how they manage their recreational fishing. The Tribe
has issued a written statement to the Service indicating that they would inform the Service and
the States about any future nonnative fish stocking on the Reservation. It is the belief of the Ute
Indian Tribe that they are effectively in compliance with the Stocking Procedures.
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