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1 <br />Introduction <br />There has been much speculation among the Colorado River <br />Fishes Recovery Implementation Program (RIP) participants <br />regarding the effect of fishing pressure on the endangered fish <br />populations of the Colorado River system, particularly Colorado <br />squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius). The populations have been <br />substantially reduced due to non-angling related influences. <br />Sport fishing can exert further pressure on diminished <br />populations by immediate or delayed mortality of individual fish <br />and subsequent loss of reproduction. There are many historical <br />examples of both commercial and recreational overfishing. The <br />extent of fishing pressure and associated mortalities of <br />endangered fish must be determined to assess the impacts of <br />angling. To date, only empirical information has been available. <br />Angling activity has been observed near population centers, <br />particularly where roads parallel the rivers, but the extent is <br />not known. <br />To assess angling impacts, the Utah Division of Wildlife <br />Resources (UDWR) conducted a creel survey in 1989 on sections of <br />the Colorado and Green rivers near population centers (Moab and <br />Vernal, Utah). The study objectives were: 1. to document the <br />incidental take of endangered fishes, and 2. to determine the <br />extent of the sport fishery on the Green and Colorado rivers in <br />Utah. Efforts were also made to inform the fishing public on the <br />importance of releasing the endangered fish by providing <br />pamphlets about the endangered status of these fish and the <br />Recovery Implementation Program. <br />