BOARD00278

• Board Meeting Date: 5/11/1998
• Description: WSP Section - Colorado River Basin Issues - Endangered Species Issues - Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program Sufficient Progress Letter
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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DRAFT

Memorandum

To:

ImplementationlManagement Committee and Interested Parties

From:

Regional Director, Region 6

Subject:

Sufficient Progress/Section 7 Consultations--Upper Colorado River Recovery
Program

In accordance with the Section 7, Sufficient Progress, and Historic Projects Agreement, the Fish
and Wildlife Service recently reviewed accomplishments during 1997 for the Colorado River
Recovery Implementation Program. Per that Agreement, the Service used the following criteria
to evaluate whether "sufficient progress" is being made by the Program:

a. Actions which result in a measurable population response, a measurable improvement in
habitat for the fishes, legal protection of flows needed for recovery, or a reduction in the
threat of immediate extinction
b. Status of the fish population
c. Adequacy of flows
d. Magnitude ofthe impacf'ofprojects

A complete assessment of recent accomplishments under the RIPRAP is contained in
Attachment 1.

Status of the Soecies

No significant changes were documented in the status of the four species. In the Green River
Basin there continues to be strong evidence that operation of Flaming Gorge Dam is contributing
to the success of strong year classes of Colorado squawfish. Fair numbers of juvenile Colorado
squawfish were captured in the Price River. Colorado squawfish have moved through the
Redlands fish passage, thus increasing available habitat in the Gunnison River.

The population of humpback chub in the Black Rocks/Westwater area has been estimated at
around 7,000. Augmentation ofbonytail continues in the lower Colorado River near Moab,
Utah.

The monitoring program is being expanded in 1998 to better track changes in numbers of fish.
Additional population estimates will be made in 1999,

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