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<br />Na[ive fish evolved under [he extreme <br />variability ofthe unregulated river. The Salt <br />and Gila Rivers are home to 20 species of <br />native fish (Minckley and Brown. 1982). <br />most of which are endangered as a result of <br />water development and introduction of <br />game species elsewhere in the lower <br />Colorado River drainage. The temperature <br />of the Salt can vary from near freezing in <br />winter to 77 degrees Fahrenheit in sum. <br />mer; any fish within the river must be <br />prepared to deal with these extremes. The <br />fish also must contend with environmental <br />factors such as extreme changes in flow <br />and large variations in sediment concentra. <br />tion. <br />The largest flood ever recorded <br />(143,000 ft'/s) rolled down the Salt River <br />into Roosevelt Lake on January 8,1993. <br />Tamarisks and willows were stripped from <br />reaches where they had gradually en- <br />croached during years of lower flow. <br />mesquite bosques were damaged but not <br />destroyed. The native fish probably were <br /> <br /> <br />Three views of Hess Creek at the Saft River <br /> <br /> <br />16 <br />