9445

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9445
• Author: Czapla, T. E.
• Title: Facilities Plan for the Production of Endangered Fishes to Meet State Stocking Plans as Part of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program.
• USFW Year: 2002.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver.
• Copyright Material: NO

Approach
Broodstock.-In the past few years, Dexter has been unable to meet our requests for
bonytail fry due to other commitments in the lower basin. The Recovery Program will make an
annual request to Dexter to provide 70,000 bonytail fry to Recovery Program facilities.
The Recovery Program will continue to develop a Broodstock based on year classes at
Wahweap. Wahweap should begin to produce bonytail required by the Recovery Program to
ensure that the Recovery Program is meeting the production demands of the stocking plans.
Rearing Location Prior to Stocking (see Table 1).-Mumma will raise bonytail to be
stocked in river reaches identified in the State of Colorado stocking plan. Mumma would receive
fry from Dexter in the spring and grow intensively in tanks until the fall of the first year.
Bonytail would then be transferred to grow-out ponds for the second growing season. Assuming
that these grow-out ponds can produce 500 pounds offish per acre, 15.9 acres are required on
annual basis to produce 24,000 bonytail that are greater than 200 mm TL and weigh about 150 g.
The Mumma facility and associations have over 35 acres of grow ponds. First year growth
would occur in tanks at the facility, whereas second year growth would occur in grow-out ponds.
Wahweap will produce bonytail for stocking into the Green River Subbasin. Assuming
that the hatchery ponds can produce 2,000 pounds offish per acre (e.g., feeding, warm water, and
a longer growing season), 2.6 acres are required on annual basis to produce 16,280 bonytail that
average 200 mm TL and weigh about 150 g. Wahweap currently has 2.8 acres of ponds
available. In the past, Wahweap has been able to raise up to 80,000 bonytail for stocking ranging
in size from 120 to 180 mm TL.
Ta in .-All fish to be stocked will be-PIT-tagged (Passive Integrated Transponder) to
better evaluate the stocking plan and its various aspects (e.g., survival, growth, stocking location,
and lot survival evaluation). The cost would be approximately $151,050 to PIT-tag a total of
40,280 bonytail, which would occur in the autumn of the second year of growth for both Mumma
and Wahweap facilities.