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Colorado biologist Pat Martinez leaves endangered fish, Kenney ReselVoir for research on cold-water reselVoirs By Kate Jones Public Information Specialist Cob. Dept. of Natural Resources In September 1990 Colorado Division of Wildlife fish biologist Pat Martinez moved from Grand Junction, Colo.. to Fort Collins .....: and started spend- ing his time on the biology of large, deep cold-water reser- voirs instead of large. muddy !lowing rivers. That move ended an ass0- ciation with the endangered fish of the Colorado River system. His work with these native fish began during his college days in 1976. when Martinez worked with George Kidd, fonner biolo- gist with the Division. doing sampling work on endan. gered fish on the Gunnison and Colo- rado rivers. In 1984. the Di- v ision sent M aninez to Grand Junction as a fish biol- P t M nl a a nez ogist for the Northwest Region, and he inherited field duties involved in the Taylor Draw Dam project during its sec- ond year. These duties focused on pre- and post- impoundment studies on the impact the dam and Kenney Reservoir would have on endangerect fish. Part of the agreement between state and fede ral agencies and Water Users Association No. I, builders of Taylor Draw, was that the reservoir be used to test whether Colorado squawfish could be introduced into the lake to create an experimen- tal sport-fishery. ":;"~~-. ',' ;;r\ ' ..It",". ,..1.- ....~.'_ .~~y-" ' . - :-,;... "'~' ,.'~ -, ~..~; . . Photo by COMle Youno. ELECTRO-FISHING: Colorado Division of Wildlife biologist Pat Manlnez (center) holds a net to collect Colorado squawflsh In the Yampa River. The research was pan of the monltorlng program to detennlne long.term population trends of endangered fish. With Manlnez are Colorado State University biology student Hslenshao "Eric", Tsao (standing) and Colorado Division of Wildlife technician Dave Harper. , "In a lot of ways, Kenney was ideal for this experi- ment," Martinez said. The hydrology of the lake meant that stocking trout wasn't the most economically or biolog- ically viable way to go." Also, stocking of wann- water sport fish could have created predation on and competition with endangered fish. Martinez took part in the first stocking in 1988; the last stocking took place last September. The good news. Martinez said, is that hatchery squaw- fish appear to grow at a slightly greater rate than their wild relatives. But based on fish samples collected so far. it appears most of the squaw- fish have moved into the White River. and only a few stayed in the reselVoir. For this reason the Division of Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife SelVice have stopped stocking squawfish in Kenney. But the Division will continue moni- toring the fish in the reselVoir and White River this year and 'possibly future years if funding is available, said Bill Elmblad. the Division of Wildlife fish biologist who replaced Martinez in the Northwest Region. Tentative plans now call for stocking sterile channel catfish in the reselVoir to give anglers an opportunity to catch this sport fish. Catfish are "bottom-feeders" and are unlikely to go over the top of the dam and into the White River, where they could com- pete with adult Colorado squawfish, or to migrate into the Green River, where they could prey on endangered fish larvae. Also, stocking catfish that are sterile prevents these fish from reproducing, which would increase the chances 5 of competition with native fish. In addition to the stocking program at Kenney, Martinez was involved in an interagen- cy program to monitor the fish throughout the upper Colorado system. "I'm going to miss the recovery effort," he said. "I met a lot of good people, inside and outside the agen- cies involved in the pro- grant If Much of the challenge of the job, he added, came from the fact that dealing with the endangered fish meant deal. ing with water issues also. "When you're talking about water in the West, you can guarantee you're talking about something a lot of peo- ple feel very strongiy abou!," he said. "Everybody wants water, and it's in short supply. I feelllke I worlced in a small way on a big issue - and I enjoyed the hell out of it"