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<br />14 <br /> <br />through recovery efforts that will reestablish viable wild stocks by removing or significantly <br />reducing factors that caused population declines; to maintain genetic diversity in captive-reared <br />endangered fish broodstock that is similar to that of the wild stock used as founders; and to <br />produce genetically diverse fish for augmentation efforts, <br /> <br />The razorback sucker is the highest priority for placing in refuge and developing broodstock <br />because of continued population decline and low recruitment. A refuge broodstock of upper <br />Colorado River razorback sucker stock is being developed and augmentation stocking has been <br />implemented in the Gunnison River and in the Colorado River between Rifle and Palisade. The <br />Recovery Program maintains razorback suckers at the Horsethieffacility in the Grand Valley as a <br />refugia and for developing broodstock. Bonytail broodstock are currently maintained at the <br />Service's Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technical Center. One stock of the Colorado <br />pikeminnow is being developed for the augmentation of the upper Colorado River. The hatchery <br />facilities in the Grand Valley consist of buildings for hatching eggs and rearing young, and holding <br />and growout ponds. Expansion of existing facilities to be completed in 1999 included a building <br />to hatch and rear young Colorado pikeminnow. The Recovery Program is in the process of <br />obtaining additional ponds that will be used to grow both razorback suckers and Colorado <br />pikeminnow to a size suitable for stocking, <br /> <br />The Recovery Program has approved a stocking plan for the Colorado River that calls for <br />stocking 102,1006- to 8-inch and 30,600 12-inch razorback sucker in the spring and fall for <br />5 years in the Rifle to De Beque Canyon reach and from Palisade to Stateline, The approved plan <br />also calls for stocking 25,600 4-inch and 12,800 8-inch bony tail in the spring and fall for 5 years <br />in the Colorado River from Palisade to Lorna. Additionally, in the spring and fall, 800 6-inch and <br />400 lO-inch Colorado pikeminnow are scheduled for stocking for 5 years in the Colorado River <br />from Rifle to De Beque Canyon, Numbers to stock will likely be modified after the first 3 years <br />based on an evaluation of stocking effectiveness, To date, 10,381 bonytail have been stocked in <br />the Colorado River in Professor Valley, Utah, and this stocking will continue for at least I more <br />year. Based on approved stocking plans, the Recovery Program intends to stock a total of 7,200 <br />Colorado pikeminnow; 1,030,000 razorback sucker; and 33,400 bonytail into the mainstem <br />Colorado River from Rifle, Colorado, to Lake Powell, Utah, Stocking will proceed in accordance <br />with dates established by the Recovery Program and/or included in the Recovery Action Plan, <br /> <br />4, Nonnative Fish Control <br /> <br />Regulations and agreements <br /> <br />Nonnative fish in the Colorado River system have been identified as a major factor in the decline <br />of the endangered fishes because they compete for food and space and prey on endangered fishes. <br />To prevent further introduction of nonnative fish into the system and to reduce the number of <br />nonnative fish in critical habitat, stocking regulations and bag limits in the State of Colorado have <br />been changed, <br />