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i <br />The Implementation Committee will play a central role in ensuring that flow <br />requirements are identified, that all reasonable means of providing those <br />flows are examined, and that the appropriate Federal and State agencies work <br />cooperatively and expeditiously to establish and protect flows. The water <br />needed to provide flows for rare fish will be appropriated or acquired from a <br />number of sources in a manner consistent with all State laws. To accommodate <br />flow needs, the following mechanism has been developed to provide the <br />assurances that this program can and will be successful. <br />4.1.1 Principles for Implementation of Habitat Flow Needs <br />The management and implementation of instream flows to support recovery <br />activities is based upon four fundamental principles. <br />a. Provision and maintenance of instream flows at certain times, <br />locations, and in certain quantities is necessary to protect and <br />recover rare fish species and habitat in the Upper Colorado River <br />Basin (see Section 4.1.5). <br />b. Water for instream flows will be provided as part of this <br />comprehensive recovery program that addresses the upper basin and the <br />fish species' habitat needs as a system. <br />4 -1 <br />4.0 RECOVERY ELEMENTS <br />This _section describes the initial steps that will be taken to protect and <br />recover the rare species in the upper basin. The recovery program will <br />include the following five elements: <br />a. Habitat management; <br />b. Habitat development and maintenance; <br />c. Stocking of native fish species; <br />d. Nonnative species and sportfishing management; and <br />e. Research, monitoring, and data management. <br />Full implementation of these elements will form the basis for the 15 -year <br />Na <br />recovery program. As other information is developed, it will be incorporated <br />rim <br />into the program, and additional activities will be defined, modified, <br />OR <br />prioritized, and initiated on a timely basis. It is not expected that the <br />success of this program will be solely dependent upon any one of these <br />elements, but on the successful interrelationships between all elements. <br />4.1 HABITAT MANAGEMENT <br />The four rare fishes, historically located throughout much of the upper and <br />lower basins (see Map 1 -2 for upper basin distribution of the squawfish), have <br />become restricted in distribution and abundance because of obstructions to <br />migration, changes in flow regime, and other physical and biological factors <br />(see Map 1 -3). To provide for their recovery (see Section 2.0), it is <br />necessary to protect and manage sufficient habitat to support self- sustaining <br />populations of these species. One way of accomplishing this is to provide for <br />effective long -term protection of the habitat by acquiring or appropriating <br />water rights to ensure instream flows. <br />The Implementation Committee will play a central role in ensuring that flow <br />requirements are identified, that all reasonable means of providing those <br />flows are examined, and that the appropriate Federal and State agencies work <br />cooperatively and expeditiously to establish and protect flows. The water <br />needed to provide flows for rare fish will be appropriated or acquired from a <br />number of sources in a manner consistent with all State laws. To accommodate <br />flow needs, the following mechanism has been developed to provide the <br />assurances that this program can and will be successful. <br />4.1.1 Principles for Implementation of Habitat Flow Needs <br />The management and implementation of instream flows to support recovery <br />activities is based upon four fundamental principles. <br />a. Provision and maintenance of instream flows at certain times, <br />locations, and in certain quantities is necessary to protect and <br />recover rare fish species and habitat in the Upper Colorado River <br />Basin (see Section 4.1.5). <br />b. Water for instream flows will be provided as part of this <br />comprehensive recovery program that addresses the upper basin and the <br />fish species' habitat needs as a system. <br />4 -1 <br />