ALP 3

Contents
in western Colorado and New Mexico such as the popular tailwater trout fishery downstream of
Navajo Dam (SJRIP Final Program Document 2010).
Recovery goals by the SJRIP identified predation and competition by nonnative fish species as
the most important threat to the reestablishment and continued existence of self - sustaining
populations of pikeminnow and razorback sucker. Thus, nonnative game fish removal efforts in
the San Juan River began in 1996. Raft electrofishing was chosen as the optimal method to catch
large - bodied channel catfish and common carp and was formally,; adopted by the SJRIP as the
primary nonnative fish management tool in 1998. Initially, nonnative fish removal efforts
focused on a 7.6 mile reach located near Fruitland, New Mexi€i and then was expanded to
include an 11.1 mile downstream section. Nonnative fish removal efforts were again expanded
in 2006 to include the section of the river between Shiprtick, New Mexico to Mexican Hat, Utah
and then were expanded river -wide in 2008 once it was realized that' el catfish moved to
areas not impacted by the electrofishing effort (,SJRIP Final Program Dodu ment 2010).
Management of nonnative fish species requires sirld.,adherence to existing rejulations regarding
live release of fish. Interactions between bluehead sucker, llannelmouth sucker aid ponnative
fish species threaten their populations ,Competition and llyb'rdization between native suckers
and introduced sucker species and predati6lt by larger nonnative predatory species represent the
most deleterious effects of nonnative interactions ..,.IrpplementatitOn of management strategies
should be designed to restrain further expansion of normative fish distributions. These strategies
should include strictrcetr}t of existing prohibatitls trding tho release of nonnative fish
�
(Ptacek et al., 2000. or the Animas -La Plata Project, the sleeve valve inside the discharge pipe
at Ridges Basin Dam is intended to serve the purpose of preventing the release of nonnative fish
from Lake Nighthorse ___ _
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Comment 1m] Testing of the sleeve valve hqs
deto mined it Is only 100% effective above elevation
6855 27 feet from full