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IF YOGI ACCIDENTALLY CATCH ONE OF THESE FO(]R FISHES, RET(]Rly IT TO THE WATER: COLORADO SQUAWFISH: No hump; mouth, at end of The COLORADO SQUAWFISH (Ptychocheilus /ucius), the largest minnow in North America, once reached weights of 50 to 80 pounds and made extensive spawning migrations. Called white salmon by early settlers, it was so abundant in the Salt and Gila Rivers of the lower Colorado River basin that commercial fishermen harvested it to sell in nearby towns. Today it has virtually disappeared from the lower basin and is rare in the upper basin. With large dams and other water diversion structures disrupting its spawning success, more information is needed on its present reproductive biology. Long-lived and once the top carnivore in the river system, the squawfish is an efficient predator. It readily hits bait and artificial lures. The Colorado squawfish is an endangered species protected by Federal and State laws. The ROUNDTAIL CHUB (Gila robusta), still common in much of the upper Colorado River system, is often mistaken for the endangered Colorado squawfish. Seldom growing longer than 13 inches, the adult roundtail chub is smaller than the endangered squawfish and is found everywhere except in the San Juan River drainage below Navajo Reservoir. I I ~ r E.---.I - IDENTIFICATION: No hump; mouth, at end of snout, extends only to front of eye. I Usually 9 dorsal and 9 anal tin rays. Silvery-gray; darker on dorsal surfaces. , - ~ Ip I ~ to \ ~ Not to be mistaken for the endangered Colorado squawfish. Mouth only to front of eye. HUMPBACK CHUB: ~. ~ , f Rounded, nearly scaleless ~~ hump; snout overhangs f ~ mouth. Usually 9 dorsal fin f rays; usually 10 anal fin rays. Silvery-gray; darker on dorsal ~ surfaces. o Snout variation of the species. The HUMPBACK CHUB (Gila cypha) is found now only sporadically in the canyon areas of the Colorado River basin's large rivers. A small population disappeared from Lodore Canyon on the upper Green River after Flaming Gorge Reservoir began operation. A few still may be found in the Little Colorado River in Grand Canyon near the area where scientists identified the first specimen in 1946. Until then, although native people and early settlers knew it, the humpback chub had not been described in scientific literature. Scientists fear it may become extinct before its biology is understood. Usually less than 13 inches long, it seldom weighs more than two pounds. It takes natural baits and artificial lures and flies and reportedly feeds actively at the water's surface. The humpback chub is an endangered species protected by Federal and State laws. BOIYYTAIL CHUB: r No hump; mouth, at end of ~ -~ ~ !- ~ ~ , snout, extends to front of J _ - eye. Body thin, pencil-like in ~ O ~ ~ ~' '`'~~il front of tail. Usually 10 or ~ - more dorsal and 10 anal fin - rays. Silvery-gray; darker on dorsal surfaces. The BONYTAIL CHUB(Gila a/egans)was once distributed throughout the Colorado River basin. Common in the Green and Yampa Rivers in the 1960's, it is virtually nonexistent there today. The bonytail chub has experienced the most abrupt decline of any of the fishes native to the main streams of the Colorado River system. It is still found occasionally in Desolation Canyon on the lower Green River, where scientists have reported it feeding in schools at the water's surface. It can be taken on various gear, including bait and lures. The fast-disappearing bonytail chub is already protected by State laws and has been proposed for Federal protection as an endangered species. RAZORBACK SUCKER: Hump narrow when viewed ~ ~ i.~„ ~ from top; snout overhangs _' mouth. Usually 14.15 dorsal ~~ fin rays. Olive-brown to black on back; yellowish-white belly. ~ - The RAZORBACK or HUMPBACK SUCKER (Xyrauchen texanus), one of the largest suckers in the United States, may weigh 12 pounds. It was once abundant in the mainstream rivers from Wyoming to Mexico, but not today. To spawn, the long-lived razorback requires warm, flowing water. Adult razorbacks in Lakes Mead and Mojave of the lower basin probably are not reproducing. Scientists believe these, like those in Saguaro Reservoir on the Salt River, will disappear as the old fish die. In the upper basin, razorback suckers are found in small numbers through most of the remaining free-flowing stretches of river and may be taken on bait. Now protected by State laws, the razorback sucker has been proposed for Federal protection as a threatened species. Paintings by K. Pendleton, courtesy of Colorado Division of Wildlife.