7731

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7731
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, R. I. P.
• Title: Section 7 Consultation, Sufficient Progress, and Historic Projects Agreement and Recovery Action Plan.
• USFW Year: 1993.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver, Colorado.
• Copyright Material: NO

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 RECOVERY PROGRAM PURPOSE
The purpose of the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fishes in the
Upper Colorado River Basin (Recovery Program) is to recover the endangered fishes
while providing for existing and new water development to proceed in the Upper
Basin (Cooperative Agreement, 1988). Further, the Recovery Program is intended
to serve as a reasonable and prudent alternative to avoid the likelihood of jeopardy
for the endangered fishes in Section 7 consultations. on depletion impacts related
to new projects and all impacts (except the discharge of pollutants such as trace
elements, heavy metals; and pesticides) associated with historic projects in the
Upper Basin.
1.2 SPECIES RECOVERY GOALS
The overall goal for recovery of the endangered fishes is to achieve naturally self-
sustaining populations and to protect the habitat on which they depend.
Attainment of this goal will result in recovery and delisting of the of the four
species: Colorado squawfish (~ychocheilus ci ), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen
x n ), humpback chub ( it ~~), and bonytail chub ( it elegans). The goal
of the Recovery Program is recovery and delisting of the four endangered fishes in
the upper basin.
The Service has developed recovery goals for each species, which are described in
the Service's recovery plans for each species (the razorback sucker plan is still in
development). These recovery plans,. developed under Section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, provide a biological and research-oriented approach to
species recovery and include a recommendation for detailed management and site-
specific implementation plans. Since the recovery plans refer to species recovery
in both the upper and lower basins, their recovery goals apply to both basins.
The Recovery Program provides for the coordinated implementation of these
recovery plans for the upper basin.
As described in the recovery plans, the primary recovery goals for the Colorado
squawfish and humpback chub are to establish and maintain natural self-sustaining
populations and their habitat. Because of the critical population status of the
bonytail chub in the upper basin, the immediate goal for this species is to prevent
its extinction. The first recovery priority for the razorback sucker is to prevent
their extinction in the wild, since there has been limited evidence of successful
recruitment of young fish into the populations.
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