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<br />G00500 <br /> <br />SITUATION <br /> <br />The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program is a cooperative partnership <br />created to recover the endangered humpback chub, bony tail, Colorado pikeminnow, and <br />razorback sucker, while allowing for continued and future water development. The Recovery <br />Program's goal is to recover and de list the endangered fishes by restoring and establishing self- <br />sustaining populations and protecting sufficient habitat to support them. <br /> <br />The Recovery Program has five program elements: Habitat Management; Habitat Development; <br />Native Fish Propagation and Stocking; Nonnative Fish Management; and Research, Monitoring, <br />and Data Management. <br /> <br />This communication plan addresses Nonnative Fish Management. This element includes actions <br />the Recovery Plan takes to minimize the adverse effects certain species of nOlmative fish have on <br />the endangered fishes. These nonnative species include largemouth and smallmouth bass, <br />ch31mel catfish, and northern pike. The Recovery Program does not intend to eliminate all of the <br />nonnative fishes, but rather seeks to reduce their numbers so that native 3l1d nOlmative fishes can <br />co-exist. Reasonable control of competitive 3l1d predatory fish to reduce the threat to the <br />endangered fish must be assured before recovery can occur. <br /> <br />The Recovery Program remains dedicated to allowing for sportfishing opportunities in the Upper <br />Colorado River Basin while it conducts its recovery efforts. One example is its placement of a <br />barrier net in 1999 in Highline Lake near Loma, Colorado. Before the net was installed, the <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife could not stock the lake with sportfish, because they could escape <br />through the spillway into the Colorado River where they would pose a threat to the endangered <br />fish. The net has proven successful in containing stocked sportfish in the lake for the enj oyment <br />of anglers and has met with positive community support. <br /> <br />In addition, the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming continue to work together to manage <br />nonnative fish. The states prepared nonnative fish stocking procedures in 1996 and continue to <br />review, revise and update these procedures as more information is received. <br /> <br />Until this year, the Recovery Program has focused most of its public involvement efforts on <br />other program elements. Emphasis during the next several years will shift toward raising public <br />awareness of the purpose of nonnative fish management as the Recovery Program expands its <br />work to encompass removal or relocation of greater numbers and varieties of nonnative fishes in <br />more areas of the Colorado River and its tributaries. In addition to fish removal, nonnative fish <br />management may include the installation of fish screens, like that at Highline Lake. <br /> <br />PIP l2?- NOilllative Fish -- 2 <br />