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<br />r, " )" ,,() <br />UU..'tOO <br /> <br />Species Act). Actions of federal executive agencies also are influenced by Executive <br />Orders and Policy Statements. <br /> <br />Endanaered Species Act <br /> <br />The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ES Act; P.L. 93-205), and <br />earlier versions of the act required federal agencies to protect threatened and <br />endangered species. Listed freshwater fishes were placed under protection of the U.S. <br />Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). In accordance with the act, the Service has <br />published rules listing four of the big river fishes of the Colorado system (the Colorado <br />squawfish and humpback chub in 1967, bonytail chub in 1980, and the razorback <br />sucker in 1991). Critical habitat was designated for all of these fishes in 1994 (USFWS <br />1994). These rules and listings were followed by recovery plans that discussed the <br />status of, threats to, and other information about these fishes, and proposed a recovery <br />outline and narrative to guide recovery efforts for them. Included with recovery efforts <br />were biological consultations and opinions issued for the construction and operation of <br />water development projects pursuant to Section 7 of the Act. <br /> <br />The Service, in consultation with other federal agencies in the upper Colorado <br />River basin, has issued over 100 Biological Opinions pursuant to Section 7 (Rose and <br />Hamill 1988). In general, these opinions determined that water depletions and dam <br />operations would likely jeopardize the continued existence of one or more of the <br />endangered fishes. A Recovery Implementation Program (Program) was established in <br />1987 and it oversees recovery activities in the UCRB, except the San Juan River <br />(USFWS 1987). The Program provides funds for evaluating habitat requirements of the <br />fishes, and seeks ways to obtain flows needed by the fish. Of the five management <br />elements developed by the Program for recovering the endangered fishes, the <br />"Nonnative Species and Sportfishing Management" component has been one of the <br />most difficult to implement. . <br /> <br />Participants in the Program have produced draft or interim procedures to limit <br />stocking of nonnative fishes and to control non natives already present. Stocking <br />protocols are being developed to provide guidelines for stocking nonnative fishes in a <br />way that would not adversely affect the recovery of the endangered species. The <br />procedures would be implemented to manage stocking in both public and private water. <br />The elimination or removal of problem fishes is also being considered by the Program <br />and its cooperators, and several studies have stressed the need for some plan to <br />identify problems and recommend solutions. <br /> <br />Nonindiaenous SDecies Act <br /> <br />Passage of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of <br />1990 (NIS Act; P.L. 101-646) was in response to concerns of United States and <br /> <br />14 <br />