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2. Purchase or trade for fish from other states <br />Our Hatchery Section presently trades with other states for the eggs of coldwater "special <br />species" and some warmwater fish. At this time, it is not known whether other states would <br />be interested in selling or trading with us for WD- coldwater fish. Some of the same issues <br />as discussed previously would need to be addressed (labor required to haul the fish and <br />threat of bringing in another pathogen). As a side note, if eggs taken from WD+ fish are <br />disinfected, the resulting fry are considered WD- if reared in a WD-free environment. <br />Therefore, the DOW can still provide the eggs necessary for our management programs <br />even if the source is or becomes positive. <br />Purchase or lease a private hatchery <br />If we could lease a private unit, WD- fish could be obtained immediately. Monitoring for <br />the overall fish health status of the unit could be started, and the long-term solution of a <br />WD-free water source identified. <br />4. Acquire federal fish <br />The Hotchkiss NFH is presently producing approximately 1.4 million WD- rainbow trout. <br />The USFWS has indicated they are willing to work with the DOW on exchanging some of <br />their fish for some of our lightly-infected fish. Unfortunately, the same option is not <br />available for the Leadville NFH because the unit is presently positive for both WD and <br />BKD. <br />Additional Information <br />In addition to our shortfall of WD- fish, there are a couple of other issues that must be <br />factored into our future fish production system. First, fish stocking from the Leadville NFH in <br />Colorado will be altered in the future. Second, if WD is destroying most of our wild rainbow <br />trout reproduction, will hatchery-reared fish be required to supplement these populations so they <br />do not become extirpated? <br />Another related issue concerning the hatchery system is the culture of nonsport native fishes. <br />The DOW is presently exploring the possibility of obtaining a water source and building a facility <br />in the San Luis Valley for culturing and studying these fish. This specialized unit would be built <br />to hold a large number of different species as compared with a production hatchery, which is <br />designed to produce a maximum number of one or two species. A native species facility will also <br />require a large quantity of warmwater (80° F). Based on the aforementioned reasons, converting <br />a present production hatchery into a native nonsport species facility would probably not be <br />practical. <br />46