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<br />" r <br />Page 32 <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />.'. <br /> <br />'i_.~ <br /> <br />Rocky Mountain News..~"",.~ <br /> <br />state/Region <br /> <br />Thursday, May 5, 1988 <br /> <br /> <br />Squawfish plan riles anglers, businesE <br /> <br />By JOE GARNER <br />Rocky MountaIn N_s Slall Writer <br /> <br />For a fish, the Colorado squaw- <br />fl5h endures a woeful image prob- <br />lem. <br />To sport!lmf>n, th.. Colorado <br />squawflsh is trash, so bony it's not <br />worth reeling in. To federal and <br />state governments, It is an endan- <br />gered species, worthy of protection <br />under the law. <br />Those conflicting attitudes ez- <br />plain why a program to restock the <br />Colorado squawfish In the White <br />River ha5 provoked fishermen - <br />who would prefer the release of <br />sport fish - and businnsmen - <br />who believe the presence of the <br />fish would hinder development of <br />the rivf'r. <br />"There are those of us in north- <br />west Colorado who believe the <br />long-range potential of the White <br />River 15 as a source of water for <br />the oil shale industry," !\aId Frank <br />Cooley, a Meeker lawyer. "The <br /> <br />Colorado squawfish <br /> <br />Kenney <br />Reservoir <br /> <br /> <br />Av9ra~a length: 2.5 f9l'lt <br /> <br /> <br />25 <br />Don_ <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS <br /> <br />problerruJ that could be created be- <br />cause of an endangered species in <br />the river are severe." <br />Last week, the Colorado Division <br />of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish & <br /> <br />Wildlife Service released 17,000 <br />fingerling Colorado squawfish into <br />Kenney Reservoir on the White <br />River near Rangely, 275 miles <br />northwest of Denver. <br /> <br />As many as 50,000 fingerlings <br />are to be released annually into the <br />reservoir as part of an experiment <br />to restore the Colorado squawfish <br />to the drainage where it once <br />nourished. <br />"You see a lot of pictures of <br />early settlers bolding up huge <br />fish," said John Hamill, diroctor of <br />the Colorado River Recovery Pro-- <br />gram for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife <br />Service. Called the Colorado River <br />:salmon or white salmon because <br />they migrated down river to the <br />Gulf of California, "they were a <br />prized fish, 4 feet in length and 80 <br />pounds." <br />As the frontier West gave way to <br />the urban West, construction of <br />dams and reservoin blocked the <br />fisb's route, so none are found to-- <br />day below Lake Powell, Hamill <br />said. In addition, large-mouth bass, <br />northern pike and other sport fish <br />introduced Into the basin fed on <br />Colorado squawfish. <br />The goal of the Colorado Rivet <br />Recovery Program is to increase <br /> <br />the number of Colorado 5quawfish <br />- as well as the humpbclck chub, <br />bon}1all chub and razorback suck. <br />er - so they can live In their <br />natural habitat unimpeded by man. <br />As long as Colorado squawfish <br />remain protected as an endan- <br />gered species, any caught must be <br />releast><l. <br />The White River Chapter of <br />Trout Unlimited "doesn't want to <br />see the river closed to all fishing <br />just to protect the squawfish," said <br />Otto Sdlul.ts. chapter president. <br />"That would be a wont...case sce- <br />nario, but we've Invested $60,000 <br />in stream Improvements." I <br />Patrick Martinez, a biol!.te,. <br />with the state Division bf Wildlil." <br />said the Colorado squawfish "was <br />once a fish with a sporting reputa- <br />tion and considered a food fish as <br />well." <br />Hamll1 said the restocking ex- <br />periment Includes "educating pe0- <br />ple about the Colorado squawfish <br />to promote a little more positive <br />image for it." <br />