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<br />These enhancement activities provide the mechanisms for reconnecting lowland <br />areas to the ri ver and i ncreas i ng the durat i on of i nundat i on in off-channel <br />habitats. Since peak spring streamflows are lower and the connection of the <br />floodplain with the river has been reduced, habitat enhancement or restoration <br />will result in higher production of zooplankton that is required by larval <br />razorback suckers. <br /> <br />Ideally, reconnecting the floodplain habitat with the main river channels should <br />simulate natural conditions where possible and be relatively maintenance free. <br />In practice, however, human intervention will be required to control nonnative, <br />warmwater fishes that are expected to thrive in enhanced or restored floodplain <br />habitats and that are estab 1 i shed in backwaters in the Upper Colorado River <br />Basin. In addition, increasing spring streamflows to flood lowland habitats will <br />result in sociological problems associated with flooding private, agricultural <br />land and production of mosquitoes that could pose human health problems. <br /> <br />XIII. INTEGRATION OF HABITAT ENHANCEMENT OR RESTORATION <br />WITH CONTROL OF NONNATIVE FISHES AND CAPTIVE PROPAGATION <br /> <br />Adequate Nonnative Fish Control is Essential for Survival of Razorback Sucker <br />Larvae. If control of the nonnative minnows, green sunfish, small mouth bass, and <br />juvenile largemouth bass is possible in the general vicinities of enhanced or <br />restored flooded bottoml and habi tats (part i cul arly downstream), razorback suckers <br />may develop self-sustaining populations. However, the size attained by razorback <br />suckers is only about 25 mm TL in 8 weeks (Figures 1 and 2). The body of a 25 <br />mm razorback sucker is deep and wide enough to preclude predation by adult red <br />shiner based on the gape size of red shiner mouths (T. Crowl, 1995, Personal <br />Communication). A razorback sucker of 25 mm would still be prey for fathead <br />minnows since these minnows tear their prey apart and feed on the pieces <br />(Dunsmoor 1993). In addition, razorback larvae of 25 mm as well as juveniles <br />would still be highly vulnerable to predation by green sunfish, smallmouth bass, <br />and juvenile largemouth bass. <br /> <br />Enhancement of bottoml and habi tats shoul d help to provi de adequate food resources <br />that will, in turn, increase survival of larval and juvenile endangered fishes. <br />However, such off-channel, low velocity, warmwater habitats are also ideal for <br />nonnative fish species that may prey upon or compete with early life stages of <br />the endangered fishes. Recovery of the endangered fishes will be dependent on <br />sufficient survival of larvae and juveniles that will provide adequate <br />recruitment to maintain self-sustaining populations. <br /> <br />Total control of the nonnative fishes is not possible in the Upper Colorado River <br />Basin (Wiley and Wydoski 1993) because these fishes are well established with <br />self-sustaining populations. If partial control using mechanical control methods <br />(e.g., removal with various gear, increased water velocity, etc.) does not remove <br />an adequate proportion of the nonnative fi sh popul at ion, then compensatory <br />mechanisms of increased growth and fecundity will allow rapid repopulation by <br />nonnative fishes. Experimental partial control of nonnative fishes should be <br />evaluated in river reaches where experimental floodplain enhancement or <br />restoration is completed to benefit the early life stages of the razorback <br />sucker. All habitat enhancement or restoration endeavors and nonnative fish <br /> <br />15 <br />