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<br />002736 <br /> <br />abundance. Additionally, informationfrom radiotelemetry can help determine whether <br />interactions with other Gila species and nonnative fishes may be a problem. Adult <br />bony tail chub should be radio-tagged, stocked, and monitored to determine their habitat <br />requirementsl/imiting factors and to aid in identifying priority recovery sites, The <br />highest priority study site for the radiotelemetry study is the Green and Yampa Rivers <br />at Dinosaur National Monument. <br />. Stock bonytail chub in priority recovery sites. The highest priority recovery and/or <br />reintroduction sites for the bony tail chub include the: (1) Green and Yampa rivers at <br />Dinosaur National Monument; (2) Green River at Desolation/Gray Canyon; and (3) <br />Colorado River at Cataract Canyon. Reintroduction programs should be prepared <br />describing the numbers and sizes offish to be stocked, time and location for stocking <br />fish, years in which stocking will occur, source of fish for stocking, and a monitoring <br />program to assess program success. <br /> <br />3. Resolve taxonomic problems in Colorado River Basin Gila. The taxonomic status of <br />the bony tail chub has been questioned, largely due to the lack of definition of ontogenetic <br />and intra- and interspecific morphological variation, plus possible hybridization among <br />bony tail chub and other Colorado River Basin Gila. Morphological studies to date have <br />failed to satisfactorily resolve these issues. Detailed studies on specimens collected <br />throughout the Colorado River basin, utilizing various approaches, are needed to: (1) <br />determine the key characteristics that separate roundtail, humpback, and bony tail chub and <br />develop definitive criteria for identifying species and hybrids; and (2) identify recent <br />changes, if any, in the genetic and/or morphological characteristics of the Gila complex <br />and relate these changes to any environmental perturbation. This action is necessary to <br />prevent the extinction of the species and is considered a priority action. <br /> <br />No time frames for completion of these activities were specified in the recovery plan for the bonytail. <br /> <br />In March, 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 198 river miles within the Upper <br />Colorado River Basin as critical habitat for the bonytail (Federal Register Vol. 59, No. 54, March 21, <br />1994 pgs. 13374-400). The priority recovery sites discussed above were included in the critical <br />habitat designation along with an additional reach on the Colorado River (Black Rocks to Fish Ford): <br />L Yampa River - from boundary of Dinosaur National Monument to confluence with Green <br />River (44 miles), <br />2. Green River -from Yampa River to boundary of Dinosaur National Monument (38 miles), <br />3. Green River - Desolation and Gray Canyons (73 miles), <br />4. Colorado River - Black Rocks to Fish Ford (30 miles), <br />5. Colorado River - Cataract Canyon (13 miles). <br /> <br />2.2.3 Humpback Chub <br /> <br />The original recovery plan for the humpback chub was drafted in August, 1979 (U.S. Fish and <br />Wildlife Service 1979). It was revised in May, 1984 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1984b). A <br />second revision was made in September, 1990 which reflects the establishment of the Recovery <br />Program (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990b). The recovery goal was the protection and <br />restoration of five viable, self-sustaining populations of the humpback chub within the Colorado River <br /> <br />6 <br />