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C) '-:-; C.0 ; \" 0:, o SUMMARY The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, has initiated an experimental stocking plan for razorback sucker in the San Juan River. This study is in support of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (Implementation Program), a cooperative effort by the Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, the States of Colorado and New Mexico, the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and the Jicarilla Apache Indian Tribe. The Implementation Program is a multi-agency, public and private effort to protect and recover endangered fishes in the San Juan River Basin (Basin) while water development proceeds in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws. Endangered species for which the Implementation Program has been formulated are the Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius) and the razorback sucker (Xvrauchen texanus). The latter species is the subject of the experimental stocking study now being conducted and proposed to be expanded by the proposed action. An additional stocking of 300 PIT-tagged fish into the San Juan River at the Hogback Diversion in New Mexico is being proposed. The purpose of this stocking is to compare differential overwinter survival of stocked razorback sucker between a normal winter base flow period (1994-1995) and a low winter base flow period (1996-1997). Ten of these fish will also be radio-tagged to allow for the collection of a second year of winter habitat use data during the four-month low flow test period (November 1, 1996 to February 28,1997). In addition, the stocking of these 300 fish, F1 progeny of different paired matings than those razorback sucker previously stocked in the San Juan River, will serve to dampen any potential negative genetic impacts from previous stockings.