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<br />Appendls ill <br />The Endangered Speeles Aet and the <br />Colorado Squawfish <br /> <br />Figure 111.1: Colorado Squawflsh <br /> <br /> <br />This 38-inch Colorado squawfish was taken from the Colorado River for resea.rch purposes. After <br />the fish-the largest one found in the last 10 years-was weighed and measured, it was released <br />unharmed back into the river. <br /> <br />Source: Utah Division of Wildlife. <br /> <br />The Colorado squawfish was once found throughout the wann-water <br />reaches of the entire Colorado River system, including areas of the upper <br />San Juan River and possibly its tributaries. The Service estimates that the <br />Colorado squawfish now occupies only 25 percent of its original range and <br />that there may be as few as 10,000 adult fish throughout the river system. <br />According to biological studies, the decline in the population of the <br />Colorado squawfish is closely correlated with the construction of darns <br />and reservoirs and with the accompanying depletion of water from the <br />river system, among other things. The Colorado squawfish best survives in <br />rivers that have great variations in seasonal flow, and much of the <br />seasonal variation is lessened when rivers are danuned to store the heavy <br />spring runoff to use during the summer. Biologists believe the Animas <br />River-the largest undanuned and perennial tributary to the San Juan <br />River-has helped the Colorado squawfish population survive in the San <br />Juan River. <br /> <br />Page 17 <br /> <br />GAOIRCED-96-1 Anlmas-La Plata Project <br /> <br />--.--"''''' <br />'" <br />r',~ <br />I"~ <br /> <br />;:y <br />tf' <br />, <br /> <br />J. <br /> <br /> <br />