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<br />, Following are some oi the principlesjnclUd'
<br />ed in the Recovery Program Qooperative,
<br />Agreement concerning control a! non.native
<br />f!sh species: .
<br />
<br />'1' Stocking and niamigement of non.native
<br />, species will be carefully monitored andcon.
<br />trolled through a cooperative effort between
<br />state wildlife agencies arid the U.S, Fish and
<br />Wilcilife Service to minimize negative:interac.
<br />. "tions,' known now as "The No.n-native Fish
<br />. Stocking Proceduf~s."
<br />
<br />2St,OCking of non'.native species will be con. ,
<br />fined to areas where absence of potential
<br />conflict with rare or endangered species can '
<br />be demonstrated,
<br />
<br />3' The state~ an~ U,S, Fish & Wildlife Service'
<br />will develop' procedures for reviewing and '
<br />resolving disagreements with any proposed
<br />introciuctions Into the upper basin,
<br />
<br />41f cO,mpetition and pr~dation from any.non.
<br />native species is determined, the states
<br />anilFlsh' & Wildlife Service will assess the fea.
<br />sibility of selectively removing those non-native
<br />species from areas considered to be essential
<br />to listed species, ',' ,
<br />To provide sport fishing, the Division of "
<br />Wildlife is approving management plans for .
<br />lakes outside Ihe 50~year floodplain of each:of
<br />the rivers Where warm-water fishing is feasible,
<br />Harvey Gap, near' Rifle, already'pJovides pike,
<br />tiger muskle, channel c~tiish and crappie fish-
<br />ing, Purdy Mesa, Mack Mesa, Rifle Gap,
<br />McPhee, Cr~wford,and other West Slope .'
<br />reservoirs will continue to provide additional
<br />warm-water fishing opportunities, The Division
<br />of Wildlife has no intention of abandoning'
<br />warm-water fishing opportunities, in fact,
<br />, efforts in, the UCRB will focus on identifying
<br />'future warm-wat~r sites within'the scope of the
<br />recQvery program,
<br />
<br />Will the state stop stocking werm'
<br />water fish species In these rivers?
<br />, For the most part, Colorado has ,NOT ~,
<br />, stOCked warm-water fish in these rivers,
<br />, although there are historical records to Indicate
<br />ihat l1irgeinoulh bass and,catfish were stocked
<br />into mainstream' rivers near the1urn 'of the cen-
<br />'tury, Those warr1)-water species found in these
<br />. rivers today-northern pike in the Yampa, for
<br />, example, or channel catfish in t,he Colorado-,
<br />escaped there after being stocked In connect-
<br />, ed reservoirs, Because these non-native fish
<br />may escape from impoundments, the recovery'
<br />, program has asked the Division to limit future
<br />stockings of these species to selected, .
<br />approved waters and attempt to remove those
<br />already in the river systems designated as criti-,
<br />. cal habitat.
<br />
<br />
<br />Will the Division
<br />remove all non-native
<br />fish from the river
<br />systems?
<br />No, This is,not feasible,
<br />. but there are things that
<br />can be done, The recovery ,
<br />program calls for, non-native
<br />fish removallrom rivers.. '
<br />where competition between
<br />the threateneciand endan- .
<br />gered fish anci non-nat,ives
<br />. is a problem, Tlie DOW is .
<br />currently looking at options
<br />for 'fish removal: but no firm
<br />. decisions- on a~iually re-
<br />moving fish have been
<br />'m,ade,
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Will the DIvlSlog
<br />. remove bag 1.lmits on '
<br />'non-native fish in. the
<br />.rlMer systems? .
<br />The Colorado Wildlife .
<br />Commission recently con-
<br />, sidered a draft regulation
<br />covering non-native fish
<br />bag limits:'Th.is regulation,
<br />calls for removing'bagand
<br />possession limits for warm-
<br />, weter sport species in sev-,
<br />eral streams in the upper
<br />Colorado River Basin thaI have been declarelj
<br />critical habitat by the, recovery program, The
<br />removal of bag limits is intended to encourage .
<br />harvest' of sport fish species iha~;may compete'
<br />with the four endangerea.!ishes in critical habi-
<br />" tat reaches of the Coloracio, Gurnison,White,
<br />Green and Yampa rivers: The regulation is sel
<br />for final approval in Ja~uary 1997_ -
<br />
<br />RAZORBACK SOCKER
<br />
<br />
<br />How does the approve.1i siocklng pro- .
<br />, cedures alfect privately owned' '.
<br />, ponds? '. '. . ,.
<br />-That policy calls for removal of non-native
<br />fish fro,m all panas beiow the 50-y~ar flood- ,
<br />plain on the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers
<br />and potentLallyrestockin~ a fewwarm-waler '.
<br />sport fish species only In those ponds above.
<br />the 50-year floodplain or ponds that have been
<br />bermed to the 50-year flood level.' ,
<br />Some ponds Gould be left barien, stocked
<br />with rainbow trout or used as nurseries for '
<br />endangered native fish, Most,ponds In ques-
<br />tion are on private property, A few hold sport .
<br />','fish now, Representativea from the recovery :
<br />program will negotiate with these private
<br />iandowners 10 eliminate non-native fish-from
<br />their ponds and possibiy use the ponds InJhe
<br />recovery effort, PRIVATE LANDDWN,ER .
<br />PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY, .
<br />
<br />,Whirling disease has had a major
<br />negative impact on tro~t lito eking on
<br />the West Slope. Now the state Is
<br />going to stop stocking most warm-
<br />water fish species. Will there be any
<br />sportllshlng at all.ln these waters?
<br />, Warm-waterspo~ iishwill continue to be
<br />',stocked in ponds and reservoirs with approved
<br />. managemeht plans. The Division of wildlife has
<br />also made arrangements to stock 50,000 dis- .
<br />ease-free rainbow trout in waters in these
<br />lower drainages annually, Plus, many waters at
<br />higher elevations affected by whirlingdisease
<br />contain good populations of brown, brook and
<br />native trout aod will be stocked with rainbow
<br />, trout as they become available. ' .
<br />
<br />'1"","00"""",
<br />, -. #.,,: ~
<br />
<br />II
<br />""YEARS,,,,
<br />. OF MANAGING
<br />YOUR WILDLIFE
<br />,
<br />,
<br />
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<br />50,000 cppies were printed.' .
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