Laserfiche WebLink
<br />002783 <br /> <br />treatment lagoons at the former City of Craig, Colorado municipal treatment facility. In 1994, the <br />Craig City Manager offered the use of two 20-acre retired wastewater treatment ponds to the <br />Recovery Program for propagation of the four endangered Colorado River fishes. In addition, the <br />town of Craig offered the use of equipment and personnel for renovation of the ponds and would <br />donate water rights necessary for operation of the facility. <br /> <br />By 1995, the feasibility and design report was completed with four options for construction of <br />propagation facilities at the Craig Municipal Facility. Four LO acre ponds were to be constructed to <br />serve as a back-up refuge for Green River razorback suckers. The environmental assessment for this <br />proposed facility was being developed. However, due to rapidly rising cost estimates for the <br />construction and operation of this facility, the Recovery Program Management Committee decided <br />that similar facilities could be constructed at a lower cost at Ouray EFCES or at Wahweap State Fish <br />Hatchery and discontinued propagation efforts at the Craig facility (Hamill 1996a). The expenditure <br />by the Recovery Program for the feasibility study associated with the City of Craig Municipal Facility <br />totaled $125,000. <br /> <br />6.0 Stocking of Endangered Fish <br /> <br />As one of the five elements of the Recovery Program, the stocking of native fishes is a vital part of <br />the recovery and subsequent deli sting of each of the four endangered fishes. This section describes <br />the accomplishments regarding artificial stocking for each of the four endangered fish species; <br />Colorado squawfish, bonytail chub, humpback chub, and razorback sucker. The discussion includes <br />any plans for stocking in the near future. <br /> <br />6.1 Colorado Squawfish <br /> <br />Tagging and experimental stocking of Colorado squawfish in the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers was <br />first performed prior to the initiation of the Recovery Program. Three experimental stockings were <br />performed in the Colorado River: 1,474 7-15 inch fish (April 20, 1980), 11,422 2-3 inch fish <br />(October 6. 1982), and 55,000 2-4 inch fish (October 13, 1983) and one was performed in the <br />Gunnison River: 11,000 2-6 inch fish (October 31, 1984) (see Appendix A). All of approximately <br />80,000 fish stocked were obtained from Dexter NFH in New Mexico. Only 5 adult survivors have <br />been found during later monitoring efforts (McAda 1996). <br /> <br />Since the formation of the Recovery Program, Colorado squawfish were only stocked into Kenney <br />Reservoir along the White River. Between 1988 and 1990, a total of86,601 Colorado squawfish <br />were tagged and stocked in this area (Appendix A). Again, this entire stock was obtained from Dexter <br />NFH Only 4 squawfish were captured in the reservoir and upstream during sampling efforts in 1991. <br />By 1992, no squawfish were captured (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1992). No additional stocking <br />has occurred since June of 1990. The Recovery Program has no plan at this time for additional <br />stocking of Colorado squawfish. <br /> <br />29 <br />