C150219 permit

• Contract/PO #: C150219
• Contractor Name: Colorado River Water Conservation District, The
• Contract Type: Grant
• County: Moffat
• County: Routt
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Approval Letter

Other proposed actions addressed in the Yampa Plan/EA
Nonnative fish management is neither categorically excluded nor addressed in any previous NEPA
documents is nonnative fish management (see Yampa Plan beginning on page 79). In recent years,
nonnative fishes, particularly smallmouth bass, have proliferated in the Yampa and Green rivers.
Northern pike and channel catfish, because of their predatory habits and coexistence with
populations of endangered fishes, also have been targeted for control. This element of the plan
encompasses a variety of actions, including removing northern pike and smallmouth bass from
critical habitat of the Yampa River, as well as reaches immediately upstream from critical habitat
(Hayden reach), and translocating these fishes to off-channel ponds and reservoirs where they are
accessible to anglers; lethally removing channel catfish from Yampa Canyon; and capturing,
marking and returning northern pike alive within reaches of the Yampa River farther upstream from
critical habitat (above Hayden to Lake Catamount). The latter action is intended to demonstrate
whether fish propagated upstream from critical habitat are dispersing downstream to critical habitat.
The results of this study may dictate that removal of nonnative fishes be expanded to reaches farther
upstream.
A number of alternative nonnative fish management actions were analyzed, including lethal removal
of nonnative fishes throughout the critical habitat reach of the Yampa River; creating "exclosures"
to deny northern pike access to suitable spawning habitats, particularly in the Hayden reach; lethally
removing all fishes from Elkhead Reservoir during the enlargement; providing a bounty to anglers
for certain species; and supporting fishing tournaments to encourage greater levels of harvest.
Because the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) is responsible for regulating sportfishing within
the state, many of these actions can be undertaken only with the approval and support of the CDOW.
In addition, the City of Craig, who owns and operates Elkhead Reservoir, would have to approve
lethally removing sportfish from the reservoir, which Craig has declined to do. The CDOW
can only support, not sponsor, locally sponsored fishing tournaments. Therefore, tournaments were
not considered a viable, long-term solution to the nonnative fish problem. The CDOW considered,
but rejected, bounties, because they believe that bounties would send the "wrong message" with
respect to how the agency values nonnative sportfish. However, bounties have been used elsewhere
(e.g., Spinney Reservoir in the South Platte Basin) to protect trout fisheries, and the Colorado
Wildlife Commission already has relaxed or eliminated bag limits for certain problematic nonnative
sportfish in the Colorado River Basin, including the Yampa River.
Lethal removal of nonnative fishes upstream from Yampa Canyon remains an option of last resort.
As long as there are suitable receiving waters for these fish, the CDOW will continue to advocate
translocation as its preferred alternative to lethal removal. Exclosures were studied, but are not
considered feasible, because of the large number of potential spawning sites along the river and
limited access to spawning sites on private land. However, screening ponds and reservoirs is
considered feasible to reduce or preclude nonnative fish from escaping from these water bodies to
the river; the proposed enlargement of Elkhead Reservoir action includes screening the new outlets,
so that the reservoir may continue to receive smallmouth bass removed from the river.
Finding of No Significant Impact 4