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<br />1 <br />r <br />CHAPTER II <br />ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION <br />A. Introduction <br />Two alternatives are evaluated in depth--the "No Action" alternative and the <br />' Proposed Action. <br />The "No Action" alternative is to continue current Federal and State efforts <br />' to conserve rare fish species. It is primarily a protection effort, with <br />research, monitoring, and recovery actions undertaken as resources permit. <br />Although this alternative may guard the fishes from extinction, it is not <br />sufficient to recover the fishes. <br />The Proposed Action is to participate in the Recovery Implementation Program <br />developed under the auspices of the Coordinating Committee. It is a <br />cooperative Federal/State/private program that works within the context of <br />State water rights systems to: <br />-continue the protection effort required under Section 7 of the Endangered <br />Species Act, <br />-accelerate the research effort to identify the habitat needs of the <br />fishes and devise effective recovery measures, and <br />-significantly strengthen and expand current recovery and management <br />efforts in order to recover the endangered fishes, and manage the <br />razorback sucker so it would not require the protection of the Endangered <br />Species Act after a 15-year period. <br />1 Other alternatives were considered but not evaluated in depth. These <br />alternatives, and the reasons they were not given further consideration, are <br />discussed at the end of this chapter. <br />' B. "No Action" (Continue Current Management) Alternative <br />Under this alternative, Federal and State agencies are assumed to continue <br />current efforts to conserve the fishes, specifically: <br />1. conduct Section 7 consultation on proposed water projects, <br />2. conduct Section 7 consultation on operating Reclamation projects, <br />3. conduct basic and applied research on endangered fish and their <br />habitat needs, as funds permit, <br />r II-1