7339

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7339
• Author: Valdez, R. A.
• Title: A Review of the Hatchery Program for Threatened and Endangered Fishes of the Colorado River.
• USFW Year: 1985.
• USFW - Doc Type: Logan, Utah.
• Copyright Material: NO

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1-1

1.0 SUMMARY

Hatchery technology for 1 arge-scal e producti on of the four rare fi shes
of the Colorado River System is currently available. These fishes include
the federally endangered Colorado squawfish, humpback chub and bony tail , as
well as the candidate razorback sucker. The techniques for holding,
spawning and rearing these fishes under disease-free conditions have been
under development since 1974. Al though much still remains to be learned
about maximizing efficient hatchery production and maintaining a wild gene
pool, the basic methodologies for large-scale production are known.
However, the physical facilities for housing production needs are not
currently available.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) through Region 2 (Albuquerque)
and Region 6 (Denver) has assumed the principal role of developing the
hatchery methodologies for these endangered fi shes. On-goi ng cooperative
programs with the Colorado River Basin states and several universities have
bolstered these efforts. The Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery (NFH),
Arizona, was the first facility to hold, spawn and rear all four rare fishes
starting in 1974. In 1980, Dexter NFH, New Mexico, was designated principal
endangered fish hatchery for these species. Prior to that designation,
Hotchkiss NFH, in southwestern Colorado, was being considered as a principal
production site, but that facility was badly damaged by a large landslide.
The only other federal facility involved in the experimental production and
research of these endangered fishes is the FWS Field Research Laboratory at
Jackson, Wyoming.

All of the Colorado River Basin states have, at some time, been
involved in the hatchery program for endangered Colorado River fishes. The
Rifle State Fish Hatchery (SFH) in western Colorado was once being
considered as a principal production site, but was removed from
consideration by that state1s legislature. The Logan Experiment Station
(FES) of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has done considerable
experimentation with these fishes to improve production techniques and
disease control. Currently, the Page Springs SFH in Arizona and the Niland
SFH in California are holding and rearing some of these rare fishes.

State universities in Utah and Idaho have al so been involved in this
hatchery program for the endangered Colorado Ri ver fi shes. The Utah
Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at Utah State University in Logan, and the
Idaho Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at the University of Idaho in Moscow
have conducted 1 aboratory experiments on habi tat tol erances and preferences
of these rare fi shes as well as fi el d studi es of the cl osel y-rel ated
northern squawfish. Their findings have been used to better define the
hatchery conditions needed for endangered fishes.

To date, the main emphasis of the hatchery program has been on
devel opi ng and refi ni ng production techni ques and to provi de small numbers
of rare fishes for laboratory and field experimentation. As a result,
rel atively low numbers of the three endangered fi shes have been rel eased in
the wild since 1980; 185,251 Colorado squawfish have been released in the
upper Colorado River and the lower Gunnison River; 7300 humpback chub have
been released in the upper Colorado River; and 83,547 bony tail have been